Translations – DaneCobain.com

Inga Gaile – 30 Questions People Don’t Ask | Review

Title: 30 Questions People Don’t Ask

Author: Inga Gaile

Type: Poetry

Page Count/Review Word Count: 98

Rating: 4*/5

Inga Gaile – 30 Questions People Don’t Ask

I was lucky enough to go to the launch of this in Riga, Latvia. Gaile is one of the leading Latvian poets and her work here is translated by Ieva Lešinska, who used to live and work in the US. As both Latvian and English translations are included, you can contrast and compare, and the result is an exciting (and occasionally bleak) collection which investigates 21st century life for Latvia and its people. It’s wonderful.

Inga Gaile

Click here to buy 30 Questions People Don’t Ask.

Arthur Wiley – Chinese Poems | Review

Title: Chinese Poems

Author: Arthur Wiley

Type: Poetry

Page Count/Review Word Count: 218

Rating: 8/10

Arthur Wiley – Chinese Poems

This book is interesting, and whilst it’s not necessarily a collectors‘ item, I’m glad it’s part of my collection. Published by Allen & Unwin in London in 1949, it features a large collection of Chinese poetry that has been translated into English by Wiley. With translations, it’s tricky to tell how much of the credit to give to the translator and how much to give to the traditional authors, but I will say that this is a book that Wiley should have been proud of.

The best thing about this is that my copy is pretty old, which makes it a beautiful artefact to hold, as well as to read. I can’t even remember where I got this, and I’m not sure if it’s still in print, but if you’re a fan of traditional poetry styles and/or unique books, then I’d recommend trying to track down a copy. You won’t get me to give up mine, though – I’ve re-read it a couple of times, and whilst I probably won’t read it again in the future, it was well worth it. Turns out that Chinese poets had a lot of talent, and you’d be missing out if you didn’t read it.