tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post7888281773482849557..comments2023-12-24T17:41:42.989-08:00Comments on seraillon: "ABBA ABBA" - Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli and His Translatorsseraillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-27948112059574505122015-03-04T14:13:24.537-08:002015-03-04T14:13:24.537-08:00Thanks, Miguel. Reasons/raisins is terrific - ther...Thanks, Miguel. Reasons/raisins is terrific - there's a lot more of that sort of thing in the Burgess novel. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-79964510847470783362015-03-01T13:42:45.650-08:002015-03-01T13:42:45.650-08:00Excellent write up about a poet I had never heard ...Excellent write up about a poet I had never heard of!<br /><br />Reasons/raisins, excellent!LMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08538873868140070018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-51490506140915894102015-02-21T01:21:41.914-08:002015-02-21T01:21:41.914-08:00That's fascinating (and I like your 'snap,...That's fascinating (and I like your 'snap, crackle and pop' description). <br /><br />Great to hear you liked Agostino - I'll add it to my ever-expanding wishlist. Pinocchio's tentacles spread far and wide...JacquiWinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16220597283351925721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-15158722655850401452015-02-19T10:02:59.759-08:002015-02-19T10:02:59.759-08:00I hope I inspire a broad wave Belli revival too!
...I hope I inspire a broad wave Belli revival too!<br /><br />I suspect the Burgess novel is as though tailor-made for you. For such a small package, it contains a tremendous amount of 19th century fun. 20th century too. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-28749305522602603312015-02-19T09:44:17.684-08:002015-02-19T09:44:17.684-08:00Anatomy of Melancholy! Jeremy Taylor! Why have I ...<i>Anatomy of Melancholy</i>! Jeremy Taylor! Why have I not read this book?<br /><br />Terrific piece. I hope you inspire a broad wave Belli revival.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-10910866439021135412015-02-19T06:52:29.457-08:002015-02-19T06:52:29.457-08:00I should add that for the widest sample of Belli&#...I should add that for the widest sample of Belli's range, you should probably go with Norse, Stocks or Miller. So heck, maybe any place is a good place to start. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-6142525046866289962015-02-19T06:51:00.724-08:002015-02-19T06:51:00.724-08:00The Eleanor Clark book came as quite the bonus to ...The Eleanor Clark book came as quite the bonus to my reading about Belli, and I'm inclined to recommend it with equal enthusiasm. It's one of those books in which I felt like underlining every other sentence. <br /><br />A little familiarity with Belli will help in appreciating Burgess, but what will help even more is to revisit Keats. But <i>ABBA ABBA</i> is such a feast of language that the background, though certainly helpful, isn't entirely necessary in order to appreciate the novel. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-15975645242780866092015-02-19T06:45:47.701-08:002015-02-19T06:45:47.701-08:00The musicality is utterly central to Belli. I'...The musicality is utterly central to Belli. I've rarely read a set of translations that varied so widely (one reason a translation of the entirety of the sonnets should be done by various translators). Miller Williams and Anthony Burgess take more liberties with Belli than others, but their versions also seem to snap, crackle and pop more. While a flat Belli may be desirable on the beach, it's a death knell to his poetry. I make joke. <br /><br />I did read <i>Agostino</i>, and I recommend it. Incidentally, that's another example of an Italian work that references <i>Pinocchio</i>, albeit indirectly - at least I'm pretty sure it does. I'm now interested in reading more of Moravia's essays on literature (assuming some are in translation), as the one on Belli is so very good. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-11189098645435168552015-02-19T02:43:22.962-08:002015-02-19T02:43:22.962-08:00I second Richard's comment, you have definitel...I second Richard's comment, you have definitely persuaded me to read Belli. The Elenor Clark recommendation sounds like a good one. <br /><br />I think that I would want to become a little familiar with Belli before I tried the Burgess book.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-70971075648750216002015-02-19T00:35:40.649-08:002015-02-19T00:35:40.649-08:00I really like what you say about Eleanor Clark'...I really like what you say about Eleanor Clark's work, how she enables those with a limited grasp of Italian to appreciate the musicality in these sonnets. I guess it's one of the elements that can lost in translation (not just the meaning of particular words, but the tone and tempo too). <br /><br />Your post also reminds me that I should try something by Alberto Moravia. Did you read Agostino while you were travelling last year? (I've a feeling I've seen it on your reading list.)JacquiWinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16220597283351925721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-73106324675588836312015-02-18T21:38:59.794-08:002015-02-18T21:38:59.794-08:00That's a good question. If I started again I m...That's a good question. If I started again I might go with Eleanor Clark first, as she writes splendidly and her enthusiasm is so infectious. But the Burgess book is so, so good - the novel itself of course, but also, for sheer, ferocious entertainment value, his translations of the sonnets - although they're only of some of the religious ones - are hard to beat. seraillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17654593356535433945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2609668304633418767.post-19541597782279160992015-02-18T20:01:37.702-08:002015-02-18T20:01:37.702-08:00OK, you've convinced me to give Belli a try......OK, you've convinced me to give Belli a try...but where to start?Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.com