Are the original Oz books worth reading? ?
I love the film 'Return To Oz' - and quite a few people have told me to read Frank L. Baums original 'Oz' books - as they are not merely child's play, but intelligent stories exploring many themes for adults as well as kids. I just wanted to find anybody who has read the original books and view their opinions.
Should I read the original book or a translation?
It is not either-or, they are both options and this is how they should be treated, if you can choose.I have lived in the US for almost two decades and I still enjoy reading in my language, Spanish, much more. This is my take:Translation is a blessing: Thanks to translation people across the globe were able to read El Quijote (145 languages) or Macbeth (100 languages). For centuries, novels and books of all kinds were translated to make sure that knowledge and enjoyment was transferred. There are very little things that are not universal among human beings.Level of knowledge: If you can read equality in several languages read technical content, self help and industry related text in the language they are written. You will learn vocabulary. Technical and scientific content are pretty easy to understand.Enjoyment: Reading for fun should be that. I do not mind translations, specially if you are from a country or your language has a lot of translation history, like Spanish. I would rather lose a little in translation than not fully understanding the complexity of the story, the color of the descriptions and the foldings of the adjectives of the author.At the end of the day, do what feel right for you. There are wonderful translations published every single day, and there is nothing wrong with reading in the language where you get more satisfaction from.
Is it important to read a book in its original language? What are the disadvantages of reading a book which has been translated?
It all depends on the quality of the translation.Sometimes, the rhythm, wordplays or other intricate aspects of a text get lost in translation.A book in its native language will always be the best, but a great translation can be almost as good.When reading certain books (mostly classical), more than one translations are available, which is why it is important to read about different translations before buying a book.All in all, native language is best but sometimes it is not possible to read in this language, so choosing an adequate translation is important to keep the same feel as the original text.
Has anyone ever read the original book called "Back To Eden" by Jethro Gloss ?
It's a book about a man that lived in the late 1800's into the 1900's that used all natural medicines, that cured every imaginable illness including some cancers using herbs, barks, spices, and plants. He predicted that man made synthetic medicines would cause our natural immunity to deseases cease to exist. He also warned about man eliminating healing plants throughout the world from development, without knowing the healing properties the plants have. He was the founder of soy bean products, or milk as I remember. I have used some of his remedies in the past, " The remedies worked " I would like a copy of his original book " not revised " I have had no luck on the internet or libraries finding the edition I'm looking for. If you happen to come across any information I can use. Please email me....Thanks ! I read that book thirty years plus ago. You need to read it yourself if you get the chance.
Has the science fiction genre lost its ways (its original roots)?
I've read "Hunger Games", "Brave New World" and other books, as well as, seen several scifi movies and films. One day, I decided to compare modern science fiction media with those from the 1900s and further back. I came to realize the differences in tones between the two time periods. Books, films and movies, from the 1900s and older, made people sit down and had deep philosophical thoughts about the world and what could be the future. While, in current time, I believe that we are exposed less to the philosophical meaning/thoughts and unique & 'out-there' story-telling of this media and are more exposed to the visual and special effects aspect and generic story-telling of the genre. And, personally, I don't like the way the genre is going. I would like to know when did the genre make this switch and if they are others who think the same way? However, could the genre, actually, be expanding, in this day in age? Or is it dying?
Would you rather read the book or watch the movie?
Thank you for the A2A!I love this question! It really depends. If it is an author I am familiar with, I tend to read the book first, then go and see the movie to compare the adaptation. Throughout the years I can only name a handful of movies where the script and the movie were close to 90% of being the same (The Exorcist is one of those book to film movies that is a 90% to me). I think most book authors who get a movie option are happy if they can see 70% of their vision on the screen as there are SO many hands in it making decisions on how things need to get done. I also think that is why in some cases Director’s Cut was formed as an option.What has happened is that I find in recent times is a movie will come out and THEN a book is written. I am not a fan of that. I think the movie has more substance in that case than the book because it makes me feel as if they’re trying to get more traction from the film, and I figured I’ve gotten the gist of it enough.Then there are the comic book adaptations. It has been a 50/50 prospect for me and not in a bad way. There are those I know like the back of my hand like Superman, Batman, Spider-man, Iron Man, The Hulk, X-Men, Black Panther and their nemeses; and then those that I never read by “heard” about like “Wonder Woman”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Dr. Strange” and just go to the film to enjoy it and never pick up the comic.