L I T T O R A L | Key West Literary Seminar

[Sho Journet]

http://www.kwls.org/category/littoral/

Hi , y'all !

Here, again, is the link to the site on
( " in" ? ) which I found JCO reading her story, San Quentin.

It is not a dedicated JCO site;
she happened to be at a seminar.

I want to be certain that Shifteh had it available ; I am just incredulous at the scope of her effort.

JCO's vantage point is so uniquely American that I' d have thought it would defy translation to a culture as inherently foreign as that of Iran.

Of course , literary works are translated into different languages all the time;
the gap in respective world views here just seems like more than a stretch.

Brenda, forgive me, I meant no disrespect. I am not a professor ;
I am not even a scholar, I'm a high school graduate who found a singular resonance in JCO's words during a vulnerable point in my life.

I love communing with like- minded people on this group, all the more for it's diversity.

I can not conceive trying to translate even directions to the restroom into Shifteh's native Farsi.

Warmly,
Shoshanna

Sent from my iPhone

[bd...@frontiernet.net]

I felt no disrespect, Shoshana. I too enjoy conversation.

You might appreciate the movie, "A Separation." The portrayal of an Iranian family, while culturally specific, shows that, in so many ways, Iranian people are like us.

Brenda

http://www.kwls.org/category/littoral/

Warmly,
Shoshanna

Sent from my iPhone

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[shifteh emami]

Dear Shoshanna

Thanks for the link.
Unfortunately, most of the people in other countries don't know
Iranian people very well.
As Brenda said you can watch " A Separation" maybe you can learn more about us.
Though this film is only one aspect of our everyday life.
But believe we are like everyone else in the world.
We read many books, novels, poems.... not all of us of course but most of us.
My father has a bookstore. there i saw many young people who don't
have much money but they buy those books which they like.and you
should know that here the books are not cheap.
I know very well about the gap between our culture an american culture.
And i understand this gap completely in JCO stories.
But you know we should not let this gap, inhibit us from reading the
great novels and stories.
I try my best to translate them. and afterwards try to publish them in iran.
And i hope one day come that everyone of us can understand each other.
And i hope freedom and peace for every countries as for my dear IRAN.

Shifteh

[Sho Journet]

I am humbled; of course the human heart is the same everywhere !

Don't know what I was thinking.

Haven't gotten ahold of " A Separation"
yet, but saw the trailers on You Tube and it looks amazing.

Looking forward to it!

Thanks,
Sho

Sent from my iPhone

[Mic]

Well, the human heart is not really the same everywhere. As a student of JCO, I know she writes of the fundamental differences in the human heart, with extremes of kindness and violence. Michaelangelo

Sent from my iPhone

[Sho Journet]

Yes, M., agreed;
just meant that the heart's spectrum, and a colorful one it is indeed, spans and transcends culture and nationality, no?

In my thoughts about translation,
I found myself guilty of the worst kind of prejudice - that which is self blinding & would have denied 'til the end had I been directly accused.

Instead, I was gently and diplomatically reminded that angels, demons and all manner of seraphim in between possess no passport.

' ppreciate the chance to clarify !

BTW, if I recall from past posts,
you were a student of JCO quite literally ( no pun intended ! ).
How cool !
Keep in touch? Christmas cards?
What a profound and remarkable influence....

Warmly,
Shoshanna

Sent from my iPhone

[Michaelangelo Rodriguez]

Hello Shoshanna, how are you? Oh yes, I was a student of JCO. You can see our picture at: www.google.com/profiles/prmike

What else have you read by her? I am currently reading "The Gravedigger's Daughter." I have some other books on the Kindle. I am enjoying also "The Tiger's Wife" by Tea O. Where do you live? Tehran? Best wishes, let's talk more about JCO. Michaelangelo

[Sho Journet]

,Hey, M.R.

" The Gravedigger's Daughter " was, well, long;  

yes, quite a thick little tome, if I recall - excellent for boosting toddlers up to the table at the IHOP.

I jest.

Enjoyed it;  haven't found bad JCO yet, and have been partaking for some 25 years.

As a lapsed Jew (  now invoke an eclectic spirituality ) I found the characterization very familiar .

Beyond that, I won't go; you're still reading.

I'm thinking, and it's been awhile, that 

" the Gravedigger's Daughter" evolved from a JCO short story, in letter form.

The name Rebecca comes to mind, a correspondence between cousins....

For myself, JCO- wise, first blood was the collection " I Am No One You Know".

A reader since Little Golden Books were a quarter, I found the tone, the caliber, the unique and disquieting style of the author addictive.

Went on to gobble everything JCO on steel shelves at the local library and during my five year tenure at Barnes and Noble ( " How 'bout that Membership ? " ).

Just when I thought the well was dry 

( for the moment ), I was able to ferret out the Rosamund Smith novels.

Withdrawals, begone!

" My Sister, My Love" is where I left off.

I did click on your link.

Interesting; impressive.

Enjoyed seeing your mustachio'd visage and placing a face to the words.

Could not yet access other photos, etc. 'cause for some reason never got around to a Google account, my email 'n'  stuff's Yahoo.

Couldn't sign in.

But I will sometime soon.

Tehran?

Nah.  Bronx girl.

At least until Junior High.

Pelham Parkway, Lydig Ave.,

Took the bus with my giggling girlfriends to shop at Alexander's on Fordham Road.

Ensconced in Miami since the early '70's.

The Iran connection is my fascination with our friend Shifteh's translation of JCO into, I believe, Farsi.

I had an image of her, I dunno,

squatting in the corner of a dome-roofed edifice wrapped deep within a bursa, a dog- eared English- Farsi(an?) dictionary in hand, with a bunch of swarthy, be- robed government dudes peering over her shoulder, lest a radical thought escape her brain.

Shifteh, my apologies.

I stand enlightened.

Now, I'ma lay down enlightened ...

the sun's about to come up...& try to sleep for a bit before I go feed my hundred cats.

Later, Sho

=^..^=

Sent from my iPhone

[shifteh emami]

Dear Sho

The image you had of me was so terrible!
I hope it changed now.
I think i'm is just like a 26 years old american girl. really with no
specific differences.
maybe our appearances are different. but not really as much.
i work in a company till noon.
then in the afternoon, i begin my translations on my notebook.

I hope one day you can come to Iran. so that you can see that we are
not from other galaxies.

Shifteh

[Virginia Bucci]

I am glad to know of this collection ("I Am No One You Know") & have just ordered it.

another elapsed whatever/eclectic

Ginny

[Mic]

Oh hello. I grew up on Pelham Parkway. What a coincidence. What's your email address? I will chat with you privately. Michaelangelo 

Sent from my iPhone

[Virginia Bucci]

I so admire you as a translator of JCO! A polygot myself (Spanish, French,
English== ein bisschen deutsch)-- I can appreciate the very difficult task
you have set yourself. And what a wonderful addition to the culture of Iran!
Congratulations to you.
Ginny

--------------------------------------------------
From: "shifteh emami" <shifte...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 12:08 AM
To: <tonecl...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [JCO:1107] L I T T O R A L | Key West Literary Seminar