The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Posted: 04 Sep 2011 02:12 AM PDT An abridged book that retains the author's distinct voice can entice readers to seek the full-length original. I HAVE just taken a trip down memory lane with a number of books from my childhood – the very copies that were arranged on the top shelf of my family's wooden bookcase with its sliding glass doors. There were two sets of hardcover books: Junior Deluxe Editions, published by the Literary Guild of America, and Great Books For Children, published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Alas, several of the titles we owned seem to have gone walkabout between the time they lived in the aforementioned bookcase and their recent incarceration in cardboard boxes in my eldest niece's wardrobe. The remaining eight books are now with me, on loan from her. I hope to share them with my children before I have to return them, and perhaps order copies of my favourite titles – I am delighted to see that they are still available at second-hand bookstores and on eBay. My earliest encounters with classic children's stories were with these books. Little Women (Junior Deluxe Editions) is still with us, looking extremely well-thumbed. So is Andersen's Fairy Tales and Heidi (Great Books for Children). Sadly, Alice In Wonderland, The Arabian Nights, The Wizard Of Oz and Grimm's Fairy Tales are missing. The Junior Deluxe Editions' Little Women is abridged – on the title page it says "abridged for modern readers". When you are seven or eight you don't notice these details and if you do, you don't understand what they mean. A children's literature group I belong to recently discussed whether or not abridged texts are worth reading. Opinion was, predictably, divided. Many, myself included, remember growing up with abridged novels. One of the members said that reading abridged work made her feel she had been "cheated" and put her off reading the full-length versions because she already knew what would happen. I, on the other hand, was thrilled to find that there were longer versions of these books available: "You mean, I can get more of the same?" Favourite scenes were extended and favourite characters described in more detail. Wonderful! Another member said she couldn't see the value in reading abridged editions of Shakespeare's plays as she felt that the whole point of reading Shakespeare was to enjoy the way he used language. She said the actual stories aren't good enough to merit any attention without his words. However, the language may not be the point for a child whose English is very basic. Abridged books are useful when dealing with such children. The original texts can be very intimidating, especially if the syntax is unfamiliar, as would be the case for Shakespeare and many classics. Anyway, I don't think you are likely to appreciate a play by Shakespeare without a good teacher. I doubt many average teenagers, or adults, even those whose first language is English, would be able to make much of any of Shakespeare's plays. Once you have the metaphors and symbols, and historical and social contexts and references explained to you, most of the plays are pretty amazing. Still, I don't think Shakespeare's plots are so pathetic as to collapse without the language to support them. They are tales that explore the human condition – what makes us tick, our foibles and strengths, the ghastly mistakes we make and the good fortune we enjoy even though we don't deserve a break at all. What's not to like? I think abridged texts are definitely worth reading. I first enjoyed Pride And Prejudice, Jane Eyre, and Gulliver's Travels and many other classics in abridged form. And I'm eager to reacquaint myself with the Junior Deluxe Editions and Great Books for Children versions of Little Women and Around The World In 80 Days, Heidi and Treasure Island, with their fine illustrations – illustrations that attracted me to these books in the first place. I don't think the question is whether abridged texts are worth reading, but whether quality abridged texts are still being published. A good abridged text should capture the mood and tone of the original novel. The author's voice and style should still be distinct. The abridgements I enjoyed as a child were not re-written. They were shortened by means of removing details like descriptive passages or even dialogue. Therefore, the reader still got a very clear sense of the original work. Readers who are interested in such excellent abridgements should search online for the imprints I've mentioned. I'm told that Signet also publishes good abridged versions of classics. And there is also Orion's Compact Editions, with its tagline, "In Half the Time". Think of these as tasters. If you like the short versions, there's nothing to stop you from reading the original full-length works. Daphne Lee reads to wonder and wander, be amazed and amused, horrified and heartened and inspired and comforted. She wishes more people will try it too. Send e-mails to the above address and check out her blog at daphne.blogs.com/books. |
| Posted: 04 Sep 2011 02:10 AM PDT THESE books were top sellers in 2010 in Popular and Harris bookstores nationwide, thus qualifying them for participation in the Popular-The Star Readers' Choice Awards 2011. They are arranged in bestselling order, NOT winning order: Fiction 1. Rojak: Bite-Sized Stories by Amir Muhammad 2. Madness Aboard! by Yvonne Lee 3. The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka 4. Kebaya Tales by Lee Su Kim 5. Orang Asli Animal Tales by Lim Boo Liat 6. The Embrace Of Harlots by David T.K. Wong 7. A Bit Of Earth by Lim Suchen 8. Inspector Singh Investigates: A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul by Shamini Flint 9. Sweet Offerings by Chan Ling Yap 10. Under The Sun by O Thiam Chin Non-fiction 1. Lim Lian Geok: Soul Of The Malaysian Chinese by Dr Kua Kia Soong 2. Moving Forward: Malays For The 21st Century by Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad 3. The Man From Borneo: An Autobiography by Brother Michael Jacques 4. From Poor Migrant To Millionaire by Chan King Nui 5. Islam In Malaysia: Perceptions And Facts by Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin 6. Katz Tales: Living Under The Velvet Paw by Ellen Whyte 7. Behind That Shiny Resume by Jasmine Yow 8. Syed Hussein Alatas: The Life In The Writing by Masturah Alatas 9. The Quran & I by Anas Zubedy 10. Footprints In The Paddy Fields by Tina Kisil |
| Posted: 04 Sep 2011 02:08 AM PDT TYPICAL of this digital age when so many people practically live online, the results of the Popular-The Star Readers' Choice Awards 2011 had responses shooting out to Facebook, Twitter and blogs. "Just deposited my prize money at Maybank KLCC. Such a relief I don't have to carry all that cash around! #TweetMintakPenampar" "Thanks to everyone who read & voted for Rojak! And to @EzraZaid for publishing it." – Two tweets from Amir Muhammad (@amirmu) after the Popular-The Star Readers' Choice Awards (RCA) 2011 ceremony at which he won second prize in the fiction category. "My editor sent me a text message around noon today. I felt I had to call and hear him actually say: 'Your book won second prize in the Popular Readers' Choice contest.' So I called. My first thought had been: 'OMG! OMG! Really?' "From the bottom of my heart, I want to say to you all: Thank you! Thank you for your support and your votes! – Excerpt from Tina Kisil's blog, Tea with Tina (teawith-tina.blogspot.com), on Aug 27 on winning second place in the non-fiction category. "Thank you to everyone who voted for me for the Popular Reader's Choice Award 2011. I ended up in 3rd place in the non-fiction category. :) I think the award is a GREAT initiative by The Star/Popular to celebrate local authors and to give recognition where recognition is due. "However, at the risk of offending some people, I must say I'm not sure I celebrate receiving it, or that I care much about it on a personal level. I am not quite sure it is a book to be proud of – given that it is simply about a season of struggle in my life. [...] I really hope all those people who voted for me, voted because they were encouraged/touched/helped in some way by reading my book. I hope it wasn't because they knew me, were impressed by my resume (which I think spans three pages of the book), or thought "publishing a book" was an achievement, or any reason of that sort. I always hope the book is beneficial and encouraging ... that it does not merely draw sympathy, or worse, invite others to drown in my past misery. I am sometimes concerned that I do not communicate this message strongly enough. [...] Once again, I thank everyone for their well wishes and support! I recently graduated and am enjoying my new job in Aussie, thrilled at all the learning opportunities coming my way. God takes care of His children and I am learning to trust in (and discover) His plan for my life. – Excerpts from Jasmine Yow's Facebook note on the RCA 2011, Aug 29. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan