Die unendliche Geschichte

[mothwing]

Nothing new on the hospital front, so I've resorted to a family remedy to hard times: books by Michael Ende.

I had always suspected that it must be hard to do justice to Michael Ende's prose, but until I discovered the audiobook I never realised how trite things can sound in English that are so beautiful in German.

However, some parts are still remarkably well done.

"Wer niemals ganze Nachmittage lang mit glühenden Ohren und verstrubbeltem Haar über einem Buch saß und las und las und die Welt um sich her vergaß, nicht mehr merkte, daß er hungrig wurde oder fror -

Wer niemals heimlich beim Schein einer Taschenlampe unter der Bettdecke gelesen hat, weil Vater oder Mutter oder sonst irgendeine besorgte Person einem das Licht ausknipste mit der gutgemeinten Begründung, man müsse jetzt schlafen, da man doch morgen so früh aus den Federn sollte -

Wer niemals offen oder im geheimen bitterliche Tränen vergossen hat, weil eine wunderbare Geschichte zu Ende ging und man Abschied nehmen mußte von den Gestalten, mit denen man gemeinsam so viele Abenteuer erlebt hatte, die man liebte und bewunderte, um die man gebangt und für die man gehofft hatte, und ohne deren Gesellschaft einem das Leben leer und sinnlos schien -

Wer nichts von alledem aus eigener Erfahrung kennt, nun, der wird wahrscheinlich nicht begreifen können, was Bastian jetzt tat."

And the English version: 

"If you have never spent whole afternoons with burning ears and rumpled hair, forgetting the world around you over a book, forgetting cold and hunger--

If you have never read secretly under the bedclothes with a flashlight, because your father or mother or some other well-meaning person has switched off the lamp on the plausible ground that it was time to sleep because you had to get up so early--

If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless--

If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next."

Drives me nuts that they call the place "Fantastica", though. Why change that name?

Comments

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I only know the English translation. What is the original name, and does it translate well into English?

[lordhellebore]

The original name is "Fantasia". I don't think it has to be translated.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

(♥ your icon!) This. I quite honestly don't know why they would bother changing it. Same with Mr CorEander. What is that "e" doing there? Why is it there? Because he's spelled with a "c" in German instead of a "k" and they thought they had to change at least one letter? IDGI.

[lordhellebore]

I'm confused now. His name in the book is "Karl Konrad Koreander", as far as I know. In English, it's "Carl Conrad Coreander" and that makes perfect sense. He's not quite spelt like the herb "Koriander" in German, and they kept that in the English version and did not call him "coriander" like the herb either.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

You're right, of course - I could have sworn that he was called "KorIander" in German, so convinced I didn't even check, the more confused I was at the English spelling.