Hanns Heinz Ewers

[lobolover]

well,mine isnt censored,because it isnt an english translation.

Nice work for others,though.

[anarchistbanjo]

Here is the link to My Mother the Witch which is a quite long story.

anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/mother.htm

Here is the link to The Crucified Minstral which I really like for some reason!

anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/minstral.htm

Enjoy them both! More to come!

[anarchistbanjo]

Finally I can offer the first chapter of Vampire! Here is the link to both the intro and chapter one!

anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/vampire/vampire.htm

Talk about frustrating! I waited almost two months for my copy to arrive and then ordered a second copy for $60. Shortly after I ordered the second one, the first arrived. I never did recieve the second. Its been over two months and I guess I won't. I'm beginning to believe there is a strange energy around this book.

I know that Ewers is difficult to translate and this book in particular is not easy for me. Sometimes I think I'm in way over my head. Then I take a deep breath and think, damn, that's a good story!

Vampire in particular got me thinking about World War I and how it all began with the asassination in Sarejevo. What a blood ravaged city! What a time to be alive! What a horror to be on a fever ship!

I love Ewers because his words really churn my guts up and make me feel things and appreciate things much more deeply.

[anarchistbanjo]

Here is the link for Alraune Chapter 3. Chapter 3 is pretty short. Chapter four is just about as long as everything I've done so far. It will be quite awhile before I finish it. Check in on the blog if you want to keep up with the story.

thanks
-joe

anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/alraune/chapter03.htm

[anarchistbanjo]

Merry Christmas!

What better gift than to present a new Hanns Heinz Ewers story!

Of Geese, Leeches, Spirits & Cat Organs

Here then is both the link to Fundvogel chapter 2 and the short story taken from this chapter. They are the same except chapter two has one section at the front of the chapter. The original book Fundvogel did not include the section on the Cat Organ so I've taken new material from the short story and added it to the main book chapter.

anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/geese.htm

anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/fundvogel/chapter02.htm

This is one of my favorite things that I've translated so far! I love this book!

-joe

[anarchistbanjo]

Here is the link to Vampire Chapter 2

anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/vampire/chapter02.htm

It's not surprising that Ewers got in trouble with the authorities! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that even in this chapter he was getting in trouble with politically sensitive issues! Talk about putting a sign on your back that says "kick me!"

In chapter two he mentions political events in World War I before America got involved. We have German Americans buying tickets on neutral ships to go back to the Homeland and help fight the war. But these ships are not so neutral, they bring German Americans by the thousands to concentration camps in France and England! The German Americans were robbed of their money. Funny, I never read about that in my history books! He also talks about the German Workers Organization and attempting to get German American workers to go on strike!

Is it any wonder that they wanted to know what was in the rest of the book! Just my thoughts on this!

-joe

[anarchistbanjo]

Just in case anyone is interested in a little more accurate translation of The Spider here is the link:

anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/spider.htm

I find the differences just as fascinating as the similarities. Hopefully my translation runs a bit smoother and makes a little more sense.

I am curious about any comments and feedback. I am considering new translations of previously translated material because many of the existing translations seem to lack a certain quality that I feel should be there.

Just my opinion

-joe

[Craig Herbertson]

I can't comment because I haven't read the Spider before. I find your translation work intriguing though, and Ewers certainly is worth translating from what I've seen so far.

I just started the chapter and found the 'when' in this sentence slightly uncomfortable

'Three people had hung themselves in the window of room #7 in the little hotel Stevens on three successive Fridays when medical student Richard Brocquemont resolved to move in'

Its ambiguous. 'at which point' might be more accurate. 'When' gives you the possibility that they performed the suicides at the point at which he moved in rather than prior to his moving in.

Pedantic is my middle name.

[Craig Herbertson]

Oh, I have read The Spider, unfortunately so long ago that i ca't make a comment... It's a good story

[anarchistbanjo]

Jan 6, 2009 9:19:50 GMT Craig Herbertson said:

I can't comment because I haven't read the Spider before. I find your translation work intriguing though, and Ewers certainly is worth translating from what I've seen so far.

I just started the chapter and found the 'when' in this sentence slightly uncomfortable

'Three people had hung themselves in the window of room #7 in the little hotel Stevens on three successive Fridays when medical student Richard Brocquemont resolved to move in'

Its ambiguous. 'at which point' might be more accurate. 'When' gives you the possibility that they performed the suicides at the point at which he moved in rather than prior to his moving in.

Pedantic is my middle name.

Thank you so much! This is the kind of help I desperately need!
I've changed the line to read:

The people had already hung themselves...

These are literally rough drafts and I don't have the time to go back and fix them. I read the German text, write notes down in pencil, arrange them in my head and type them up, make one final edit for clarity and I'm done. That's rough! And I'm always missing things.

I recently found that Pierrot means "Mime" in French. In the Crucified Minstral I was using it as a name. It was not in the German Dictionary. That clarification made that story much better as well.

thanks
-joe

[Craig Herbertson]

Better than my suggestion.

Its easy to nitpick when someone has done the serious work.

I was just reflecting on The Spider. It was one of those stories that really hit home when I read it. Partly, I think because it was dealing with sexuality and I was an adolescent. So little time so many books...

[mattofthespurs]

Jan 6, 2009 11:59:03 GMT anarchistbanjo said:

Thank you so much! This is the kind of help I desperately need!
I've changed the line to read:

The people had already hung themselves...

Shouldn't it read "The people had already hanged themselves..."
Not saying I'm right, just wondering.

[anarchistbanjo]

[quote author=mattofthespurs board=faveraves2 thread=1097 post=13805 time=1231323467
The people had already hung themselves...
[/quote]

Shouldn't it read "The people had already hanged themselves..."
Not saying I'm right, just wondering.[/quote]

God Almighty! Chuckle! You could be right, I don't really know. I tend to think either one will work. Like many writers I can only get so close to the material before I fry. That is why I need to keep changing from one story to the other in round robin fashion. Just about everything I've ever written could benefit from professional line editing.

Lord knows I'm not professional although I hope to be one day. If there are any English experts in the audience step forward. I will make any corrections needed. ;D

This entire translation thing is a bit abstract. Old German literature was written in a special tense called Plu-perfect, past plu-perfect and present plu-perfect. English doesn't even have these tenses.

These tenses are in addition to past perfect, present perfect and future perfect which we do have in English. Let's not forget simple past, present and future tenses!

To wade through this mire is very complex and would require years of scholarship IMHO.

I just try to read the story, figure out what the hell is going on and retell it in my own words the best way I know how. I've never had more than a couple college Engish classes. Most of my writing skill has been self taught by reading thousands if not more books for pure enjoyment. I have a sense of what goes into a story and what doesn't.

Interestingly enough, most of the existing English translations of Hanns Heinz Ewers appear home grown as well. That accounts for the wooden, akward feel to some of the phrasing. They are trying to translate the words and miss important parts of the story or make it awkward to read! Let's not forget some of these were written over 100 years ago as well.

Again, thanks for the comment! I have considered it and until I know better will keep it the way it is for now. If you find out let me know as well.

-joe

[anarchistbanjo]

Jan 6, 2009 16:49:19 GMT Craig Herbertson said:

Better than my suggestion.



I was just reflecting on The Spider. It was one of those stories that really hit home when I read it. Partly, I think because it was dealing with sexuality and I was an adolescent. So little time so many books...

My wife doesn't like Ewers because of the creepy sexuality he puts into his stories. She loves Stephan King and says he is not like that at all. In addition to the admitted sexuality I also find an impressive insight into human feelings that fascinates me!

I've read a lot of authors and can't think of anyone that comes close to putting so much humanity into a few phrases so consistently and over such a diverse range of topics. Actually this can be seen more in his lighter stories than the gruesome ones most associated with him.

Chapter two of Fundvogel, Of Geese, Leechs, Spirits & the Cat Organ is a perfect example.

Those short incidents in the life of the little girl Andrea resonated so deeply to me because they touched memories of my own childhood. I grew up on a farm and we raised horses. I've had horse slobber on my face. I've skated in the winter on the creek or lakes. I've also gotten in trouble for doing stupid things!

There seems to be layer after layer of meaning in the stories and I find that I don't want to go back to a lesser quality of reading. I would rather slowly translate his stories and read them paragraph by paragraph for the first time!

[Craig Herbertson]

Yes, you have to look at the times too. Horror was linked with the forbidden