John throne's Posts - The Wild Geese2024-03-28T11:21:02Zjohn thronehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/johnthronehttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/57439680?profile=original&xn_version=202403260758&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1&xj_user_default=1https://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blog/feed?user=2708i8qpxbzv9&xn_auth=no'Finnegan's Wake' Takes China By Stormtag:thewildgeese.irish,2013-04-01:6442157:BlogPost:153142013-04-01T19:00:00.000Zjohn thronehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/johnthrone
<p><strong><span class="font-size-5"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84697367?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84697367?profile=RESIZE_320x320" style="padding: 10px;" width="300"></img></a> I</span> had to go down</strong> to the hospital very early today. On the way back, I was exhausted and stopped in a coffee shop. And what do you know? My whole day was transformed. Somebody had left a copy of The New York Times behind, and there staring up at me from the front page was the man himself, wee Joyce. with his head and hat cocked…</p>
<p><strong><span class="font-size-5"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84697367?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/84697367?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" style="padding: 10px;" class="align-left"/></a>I</span> had to go down</strong> to the hospital very early today. On the way back, I was exhausted and stopped in a coffee shop. And what do you know? My whole day was transformed. Somebody had left a copy of The New York Times behind, and there staring up at me from the front page was the man himself, wee Joyce. with his head and hat cocked in the famous pose. </p>
<p><strong>Left, a screenshot from <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2013-02/01/content_16192287.htm" target="_blank">ChinaDaily's website</a>, with an article headlined "Joyce's Finnegans (sic) Wake sells out quickly in China."</strong></p>
<p>When my mother died she was buried in a small Donegal graveyard. Being an atheist, I did not let the preacher speak for me. After he was finished I spoke of my mother's life and read two Joyce poems. Genius, which if it is genius, corresponds to reality, and Joyce's genius found its way into that small graveyard. Or, to put it another way, it is hard to keep a good man or woman down.</p>
<p>So what was this article in The New York Times about? Well, it seems that "Finnegan's Wake," the most complex of all his works, has now been translated into Chinese, it did not say was it Cantonese or the other Chinese language. And, what do you know, the book is flying off the shelves. They have had to have a second print run already. MS Dai Congrong, the translator, says: "It is beyond my expectations." It reached No. 2 on the best-sellers list. One reader said: "I am so desperate to know how it feels to read the most complicated book in the world."</p>
<p>MS Dai deserves a medal. To translate Joyce's work she had to create new Chinese characters, a big step as the language already had tens of thousands of characters. Ms. Dai has not finished her translation completely. She says it will take another six years. Her husband, who is gettiung very annoyed with Joyce because he hardly ever sees his wife, thinks it will take another 20 years. He is getting like Nora, who got fed up with Joyce in her time and referred to "Finnegan's Wake" as "That Chop Suey you're writing." HHHmmmmm, Choy Suey and a Chinese translation of "Finnegan's Wake." It gets more Joycean by the minute. </p>
<p><a href="http://conorsaysboom.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/m_joyce.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://conorsaysboom.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/m_joyce.jpg?width=250" width="250" style="padding: 10px;" class="align-right"/></a></p>
<p>Supporters of the book and of Joyce say his genius is that he pushes the limits of language. It is to be read as poetry, say many. A prominent Chinese writer says "Finnegan's Wake" could inspire Chinese people to write. And, the writer suggests, maybe after they read it they will take literature seriously or even write. Ms. Dai, the vice dean of the Department of Chinese Literature at Fundan University in Shanghai says: "The traditional writing style of Chinese literature needs to be changed after all these years. Someone needs to stand out and lead by his (or her) unique wriiting, like what James Joyce did in Western literature." Not bad from a boy from Dublin. Maybe change the literature of a country of over a billion. As I say, they banned him in Ireland, they drove him out, then they had to retreat and put the bronze quotes from him on the Dublin streets and now he is penetrating the world and its most populous country.</p>
<p><strong>Right, James Joyce in 1904, 22 years old.</strong></p>
<p>I like the one about Bloomsday and the Joyce fans who were in Dublin from all over the world. A group of Japanese were outside one of the Joyce pubs with some sheets of "Finnegan's Wake" translated into Japanese. A couple of Dublin wits were standing dragging on two butts hoping there might be a drink going. Maybe these Japanese would want to meet some real Joycean Dubliners. They thought to themselves -- no better men. But in spite of themselves they got caught up in the Japanese reading "Finnegan's Wake" in their own language. After a while, one turned to the other and said: "Bay Jaysus, I can understand it better in the Japanese." Joyce would have been proud. <strong>-- Sean (John Throne) </strong> </p>
<p><strong>Google "John Throne" or "The Donegal Woman" to learn more of my political views and activities in Northern Ireland and elsewhere and for reviews of my book "The Donegal Woman."</strong></p>An Irish Daytag:thewildgeese.irish,2013-03-19:6442157:BlogPost:126802013-03-19T19:30:00.000Zjohn thronehttps://thewildgeese.irish/profile/johnthrone
<p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong><span class="font-size-6">B</span>efore I became ill</strong> I used to organize alternative St Patrick's days. The last one was here in Chicago. It was a tribute to black America and what its struggles had done for Irish culture. The idea was that the black civil rights movement played a major role in inspiring the civil rights movement in Ireland in the late 1960's and this in turn gave a new boost to…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="font-size-3"><strong><span class="font-size-6">B</span>efore I became ill</strong> I used to organize alternative St Patrick's days. The last one was here in Chicago. It was a tribute to black America and what its struggles had done for Irish culture. The idea was that the black civil rights movement played a major role in inspiring the civil rights movement in Ireland in the late 1960's and this in turn gave a new boost to interest in Irish culture and history. Rock and roll survived. But then came the blues. It was a great exciting time in Ireland back then. I lived in Derry and was involved in the uprising and movement there.<br/><br/> The last alternative St. Patrick's day I organized was with my now passed on friend and great old blues singer Jimmy Lee Robinson. We organized for him to play at a theatre which was run by an Irish American and his African American partner. They were both I found out later a bit too close to the Daly machine. When we arrived at the theatre it was locked and nobody was about. We went on to the Abbey Pub, you might have heard of it, to see if we could be part of the session that we knew inevitably would be taking place. Sure enough there was a session of about a dozen people. I asked could Jimmie Lee sit in.<br/><br/> It was like a had thrown a grenade. The music stopped and a huddled discussion took place. Then two people were sent over to tell us that Jimmie Lee could not play as Irish music was different from the blues. I was so ashamed and apologized to Jimmie Lee. We turned to leave. Then a man separated himself from the session and ran after us. Wait wait he said I know a place we can go. He was Neiley, a Cork man recently arrived in the US.<br/><br/> We went with him to a small pub called Mary's. It was completely empty. Mary was very glad to see us and Jimmie Lee and our new friend set up in the corner, Jimmie Lee with his guitar and spurs which he used for percussion. And Neiley with his bodhran. It took a while but with Jimmie Lee leading and encouraging Neiley in a half hour or so the blues and the Irish music was going wonderfully together. It was beautiful.<br/><br/> Then three bikers came in, the lot, leather and chains and big boots. Stuck with my stereotype I thought ah no racists, trouble. I said to Neiley if they insult Jimmie Lee we will have to fight. I am not going to let him be insulted twice in the one night. Neiley went momentarily went white but quickly recovered and said Okay. Neiley and Jimmie ee played away. The bikers came and stood around holding their bottles of beer. I was a bag of nerves. Then the most wonderful thing happened. After ten or fifteen minutes the bikers were dancing to the music and joining in when they knew any words. The music had won them over, the blues and the Irish music had brought us all together. Mary set up a free round of drinks and clapped her hands to the music and laughed and greeted everybody and thanked us again and again for coming. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="font-size-3">It was a wonderful night.<br/></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="font-size-3">John Throne is author of "The Donegal Woman," an Irish best-selling novel. E-mail <a href="mailto:Loughfinn@aol.com" target="_blank">Loughfinn@aol.com</a> for a copy. $20,00 includes postage in North America. $5.00 extra postage internationally.</span> </p>