I found this article on the evolving book industry interesting, regarding Haruki Murakami's "1Q84". The distinctive design of the translucent jacket that has helped sell millions of print copies underlines the critical role presentation can play in literature. This may apply even more to translated works, because the physical book can take on some qualities of a cultural artifact alongside its content. Given that the article stresses the value of an aesthetically pleasing book (in addition to my personal preference of physical over electronic copies of books), I am instantly reminded of how the art of translation is extended to the visual and tactile experience of reading. It's interesting that this turns out to be in comparison with its Japanese original, possibly giving insight into cross-cultural book marketing strategies.
No comments:
Post a Comment