RJ in the Netherlands -- Questions
Marion Kippers
would like to ask RJ at one or two of his Dutch signings. Two of them
concern my favourite character at the moment, Logain. The other one is
about names and translations. Any insight is appreciated.
Here goes:
-- How was Cadsuane involved in Logain's capture ?
Or 'what did she do to him'? I expect to get a RAFO on this one, but if
not, this might give a clue to what Cadsuane's plans are with Rand. In
the glossary for _aCoS_ it's mentioned that channeling men that Cadsuane
brought to the White Tower "tended to live remarkedly longer after being
gentled than those brought by other sisters". So there seems to be
something she does to them -- or teaches them.
-- When did Logain arrive at the Black Tower, and how did he become an
Asha'man given Taim's dislike for him ?
This will also probably (at least partially) get a RAFO, but otherwise
it might give some insight in the workings of the Black Tower and the
relationship between Taim and Logain, or Logain's influence. And I just
wonder about the timeline here, since in the _WH_ Prologue Toveine
thinks to herself that Logain told her that the wall "was begun less
than three months ago". Logain could not have been at the Black Tower
for more than two months (at most) I'd think. Also, does Rand know
Logain's alive and Healed ?
- How does RJ come up with names for all his characters, and is he
involved in the way some of the names are translated ?
Probably a standard question but I'd like to know anyway. As for the
translation bit, I'm referring to the Dutch translation. I don't
necessarily mean the subtile changes between Rand and Rhand, or Mat
becoming Mart, but there is one case that strikes me as odd: in _aCoS_
(Ch. 35, "Into the wood", p. 526 Orbit HC), when Rand and Min travel to
the rebel camp where they meet Caraline, Darlin and Toram Riatin, Rand
is called Tomas Trakand, and Min is called Jaisi. In the Dutch
translation "Jaisi" has been changed to "Flatona". I'm not sure if
"Jaisi" means anything special ? (Don't know about "Flatona", either,
to be honest.) Min makes it clear she's not pleased with the name;
"the only Jaisi she had ever known had been a dusty prune before she was
twenty, and sour and bad-tempered to boot" - but that's mentioned in the
Dutch translation as well.
That's all for now. Suggestions for other questions are welcome as
well, though like I said in my Introduction post, I'll probably end up
not saying anything at all when the moment of truth is there...
Best wishes,
Marion
--
Marion Kippers
Marion....@wkap.nl
Dylan Verheul
<Marion....@zonnet.nl> wrote:
>As mentioned in my introduction post, here are some questions that I
>would like to ask RJ at one or two of his Dutch signings. Two of them
>concern my favourite character at the moment, Logain. The other one is
>about names and translations. Any insight is appreciated.
So, did you ask any? Did you get any answers? Anyone?
D
--
Life would be much easier if I had the source code.
Marion Kippers
Some time ago I posted some of the questions that I would like to ask
Robert Jordan during his visit to the Netherlands, between 4 and 8
April. And now Dylan Verheul <ne...@dyve.net> wrote :
> So, did you ask any? Did you get any answers? Anyone?
In the meantime I noticed Aan'allein's fantastic reports as mentioned in
his "Robert Jordan visiting the Netherlands: links to reports" post --
wish I had seen those earlier, they're great! Anyway, since I had
already written most of this post I'll send it anyway, there might be
one or two things that Aan'allein didn't mention yet. First a report,
then some of the more interesting (IMHO) questions and answers below.
I got to meet mr. Jordan three times. His first interview session in
bookstore De Kler in Leiden was well organised, there were about 80 to
90 people there, and RJ seemed more interested and open with his answers
than on the later occassions I attended. The bookstore interviewer
asked him all the usual questions, but it was nice to hear the familiar
answers from the master himself. Oh, and I too heard him say that
Harriet knows the ending ("she's my wife, she has ways to get things out
of me").
On Friday, RJ and Terry Pratchett were interviewed by RJ's Dutch
translators, Jo Thomas and Johan-Martijn Flaton, at the Donner bookstore
in Rotterdam. Apparently his Dutch translators are the only translators
who actually get in touch with him about details, and I think the Dutch
translations for the WoT books are quite good and close to the English
text. The bad news is of course that now the translators have met the
creator, the Dutch translation for _WH_ (which was supposed to be
released in April) has been pushed back until July. I do wonder what
details they did overlook...
Anyway, I was looking forward to this interview. And the questions were
original, but unfortunately Terry Pratchett had a way of not answering
them, going on and on for hours until nobody knew where he was going
anymore, and then RJ would pick up on something Pratchett had said which
would be interesting, but miles away from the original question. I had
hoped to get an answer about his idea of translations (the question to
Pratchett was something like "Are you afraid of translations, that
things or names or ideas get lost in process?"), but even Pratchett
himself never even got close to answering that. Oh well. It was an
interesting interview still, about the creative process of writing, how
details grow to become important later in the story, how he created the
world for WoT, why he doesn't read fan fiction, things like that. It
was crowded, I think over 200 people were there, and it turned out that
about three quarter of them wanted a Pratchett signature, so the queue
for RJ was much smaller and even allowed me to go back twice.
Finally I saw him on Sunday at the second day of the Elf Fantasy Fair,
where Dutch fantasy writer W.J. Maryson and the audience interviewed
him. By this time RJ seemed quite tired, and he actually said so in
reply to one of the more original questions ("What question do you think
we _should_ ask you about the books that we don't?"); we (the readers in
general) manage to ask everything and more than he could ever dream of -
he compared it to the Calvin & Hobs strip: "I've just been assaulted
with snowballs all the way from the sidewalk, and when I manage to reach
the door, a voice calls out to me 'Hey, come out here and help us make
some more snowballs!'"
And to close the official part of his visit to the Netherlands, on
Sunday evening there was the on-line chat at the Dromen and Demonen
website. The transcript of this chat can be found at
http://www.dromen-demonen.nl/luitingh_htdocs/transjordan.html .
Now, here are some of the more interesting questions and answers.
-- Some FAQ's: RJ gave some pronounciations (I wondered how many of the
Dutch readers were interested in that - the names do come out quite
different if you're used to read and think of them in Dutch), he
announced that Sammael is dead, and so is Asmodean, and it should be
clear who killed Asmo but he's putting in some more clues to help us
found out who did it. And at least three more books.
-- He explained a bit more about the cleansing of the taint, but enough
has been said about that here already I'd think.
-- I liked the explanation of how the different turnings of the Wheel
of Time create similar but very different tapestries for the same age -
but the Dragon Reborn will always be a male soul (that was the
question), just like Birgitte will always be a female soul.
-- There was a question about a movie, for which we got the story about
the NBC options that had passed, but now, with the _Lord of the Rings_
movies coming up, there might be renewed interest - the actual books
would require a miniseries, but for example _New Spring_ could turn into
a movie. (In later sessions he didn't mention this again though).
-- I asked how he comes up with names for all of his characters, and he
gave a nice explanation, with some examples as well - like Nynaeve is
directly from the Arthur myths, Rand Al'Thor is from Arthur (and from
Thor), as is Artur Hawkwing, Merlin became Thom Merrilin and Amyrlin...
He keeps a list of names he sees everywhere, in myths, street signs,
news papers, or things he misreads that might be nice for a name.
-- My question whether Logain knows Cadsuane (one of my main questions,
a bit refrased) got a RAFO, of course, and my question when Logain did
arrive at the Black Tower got a quite confused answer. He said Logain
had been there for quite a while now, but he would have to look it up in
his chronology to find the exact period - not half a year, but some
months. Which seems strange to me, since Logain only escaped from the
Aes Sedai about two months before he captures Toveine (unless my
timeline is completely off). So no real answer here. BTW, does anybody
know what happened to Steven Cooper's "Chronology of the Wheel" website?
I can't seem to find it at the old location anymore.
-- I also asked him whether Tam Al'Thor knows that Rand is the Dragon
Reborn, and whether we'll see Tam again. He said that Tam has a
suspicion from what Perrin told him, but he doesn't know for sure yet.
And instead of RAFO he actually said we might not see Tam again, he's a
nice guy but only a minor character and he doesn't really play a role
anymore. Sigh. I would have liked to see him again... But then again,
RJ might change his mind after all.
-- The question why there wasn't gunpowder in 'Randland' got the simple
"Because nobody's thought of the use of fireworks as a weapon, and there
are only a handful of people who know of the power of gunpowder - only
if you've ever witnessed a chapterhouse explosion you might start to
think in that direction."
-- And finally, RJ mentioned that cleavage is the best thing since the
invention of cheese in answer to the (probably ironic) question if there
will be more talk of cleavage in the next books. According to RJ it's
one of the first things people notice, it's the way men look at women,
and women think of it in the same way. That's why he uses it as well.
Well, that's about it. There might be some other things but I think
they can all be found in Aan'allein's pages (I keep mentioning them, I'm
just so happy I found them). RJ said he enjoyed his first visit to the
Netherlands, and I'm looking forward to seeing some Dutch influences in
the next book...
Best wishes,
Marion
--
Marion Kippers
Marion....@zonnet.nl
T Sean Connolly
<Marion....@zonnet.nl> wrote:
<snip>
>-- My question whether Logain knows Cadsuane (one of my main questions,
>a bit refrased) got a RAFO, of course, and my question when Logain did
>arrive at the Black Tower got a quite confused answer. He said Logain
>had been there for quite a while now, but he would have to look it up in
>his chronology to find the exact period - not half a year, but some
>months. Which seems strange to me, since Logain only escaped from the
>Aes Sedai about two months before he captures Toveine (unless my
>timeline is completely off). So no real answer here. BTW, does anybody
>know what happened to Steven Cooper's "Chronology of the Wheel" website?
>I can't seem to find it at the old location anymore.
<snip>
http://www.users.bigpond.com/steven_cooper/wotchron.htm seems to work
for me.
--
T Sean Connolly tsean.connolly @ btinternet.com
Steven Cooper
<tsean.c...@nospam.btinternet.com> wrote:
>On Mon, 23 Apr 2001 20:00:53 +0200, "Marion Kippers"
><Marion....@zonnet.nl> wrote:
>>-- My question whether Logain knows Cadsuane (one of my main questions,
>>a bit refrased) got a RAFO, of course, and my question when Logain did
>>arrive at the Black Tower got a quite confused answer. He said Logain
>>had been there for quite a while now, but he would have to look it up in
>>his chronology to find the exact period - not half a year, but some
>>months. Which seems strange to me, since Logain only escaped from the
>>Aes Sedai about two months before he captures Toveine (unless my
>>timeline is completely off). So no real answer here. BTW, does anybody
>>know what happened to Steven Cooper's "Chronology of the Wheel" website?
>>I can't seem to find it at the old location anymore.
>
>http://www.users.bigpond.com/steven_cooper/wotchron.htm seems to work
>for me.
Works for me, too. :-)
Unless my timeline is completely off the beam, Logain has been at the Black
Tower for about two-and-a-half to three months by the end of WH.
--
Steven Cooper | "I'm entitled to my opinion!"
Melbourne, Australia. | "It is your assumption that we are entitled
saco...@ozemail.com.au | to it as well that is irritating."
Marion Kippers
"Steven Cooper" <saco...@ozemail.com.au> wrote in reply to T Sean
Connolly <tsean.c...@nospam.btinternet.com> :
> >On Mon, 23 Apr 2001 20:00:53 +0200, "Marion Kippers"
> ><Marion....@zonnet.nl> wrote:
> >>[snip] ... According to RJ Logain has been at the Black Tower for
> >>quite a while now, not half a year but some months ... [snip]
> >>
> >>BTW, does anybody
> >>know what happened to Steven Cooper's "Chronology of the Wheel"
> >>website? I can't seem to find it at the old location anymore.
> >
> >http://www.users.bigpond.com/steven_cooper/wotchron.htm seems to work
> >for me.
>
> Works for me, too. :-)
I keep getting "Cannot find server or DNS error -- the page cannot be
displayed" messages when I try to open it. Any idea what could be
wrong?
> Unless my timeline is completely off the beam, Logain has been at the
> Black Tower for about two-and-a-half to three months by the end of WH.
Yes, it must be something like that. That would indeed be 'some
months', but I don't really consider that to be 'quite a while'. I
still wonder how long it took him to get to the Black Tower after his
escape from the Aes Sedai, or how he got there (did some Aes Sedai make
him a gateway??) but since RJ already said he would have to look it up I
didn't ask any further...
Aaron Bergman
"Marion Kippers" <Marion....@zonnet.nl> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> "Steven Cooper" <saco...@ozemail.com.au> wrote in reply to T Sean
> Connolly <tsean.c...@nospam.btinternet.com> :
>
> > >On Mon, 23 Apr 2001 20:00:53 +0200, "Marion Kippers"
> > ><Marion....@zonnet.nl> wrote:
> > >>[snip] ... According to RJ Logain has been at the Black Tower for
> > >>quite a while now, not half a year but some months ... [snip]
> > >>
> > >>BTW, does anybody
> > >>know what happened to Steven Cooper's "Chronology of the Wheel"
> > >>website? I can't seem to find it at the old location anymore.
> > >
> > >http://www.users.bigpond.com/steven_cooper/wotchron.htm seems to work
> > >for me.
> >
> > Works for me, too. :-)
>
> I keep getting "Cannot find server or DNS error -- the page cannot be
> displayed" messages when I try to open it. Any idea what could be
> wrong?
Try <http://139.134.5.123/steven_cooper/wotchron.htm>
Aaron
--
Aaron Bergman
<http://www.princeton.edu/~abergman/>
Marion Kippers
<snip> Trying to access Steven Cooper's "Chronology of the Wheel"
website at http://www.users.bigpond.com/steven_cooper/wotchron.htm
<snip>
"Aaron Bergman" <aber...@princeton.edu> wrote:
> "Marion Kippers" <Marion....@zonnet.nl> wrote:
>
> > I keep getting "Cannot find server or DNS error -- the page cannot
> > be displayed" messages when I try to open it. Any idea what could
> > be wrong?
>
> Try <http://139.134.5.123/steven_cooper/wotchron.htm>
That doesn't work either -- at least, not from this account at Zonnet.
But both addresses do work via my other account at work, and also via my
boyfriend's account with an other ISP. So now I have access to that
great site again, only not through this connection. Apparently this ISP
(Zonnet) refuses to find it. Strange. Anyway, thanks to all who
responded for your help.
Dylan Verheul
<Marion....@zonnet.nl> wrote:
>"Aaron Bergman" <aber...@princeton.edu> wrote:
>>
>> Try <http://139.134.5.123/steven_cooper/wotchron.htm>
>
>That doesn't work either -- at least, not from this account at Zonnet.
Zonnet is the problem. Sometimes I can't even reach Google (host not
found). Don't know what they are up to these days.
Pat O'Connell
Some DNS server, either at Zonnet or at another provider that Zonnet
gets addresses from, is misconfigured. Why the hard coded IP address
doesn't work is beyond me, though.
--
Pat O'Connell
Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints,
Kill nothing but vandals...