雪國 (Snow Country) Translations

[GodEmperorLeto]

I read Seidensticker's translation of Snow Country (雪國/Yukiguni), by 川端 康成 (Kawabata Yasunari). I was not impressed by the translation, despite Seidensticker's reputation in the United States. I hear that a new translation was made in the 1990s, but so far I have not been able to find it. I can't read anymore than the simplest 日本語 so this novel is far beyond my still level, much as I'd like to read the original. So, does anybody know of this alternate translation?

[caster51]

I found this one
http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/108356701

i think this novel's essence is only one sentence.
he won Nobel prize by only one sentence :p

「国境の長いトンネルを抜けると、雪国であった。」

[tokapi]

Huh,I thought it was 千羽鶴 won 川端康成 him the Nobel Prize in Literature.

By the way,I have the entire translated collection of his literary works.:happy::emblaugh:

[caster51]

By the way,I have the entire translated collection of his literary works

WOW, 貴方は何者？.............;-)

[GodEmperorLeto]

I found this one
http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/108356701

That one is translated by Seidensticker as well. Darn. But the forward is by Kazuo Ishiguro, which is impressive. I might pick it up just for the forward.

i think this novel's essence is only one sentence.
he won Nobel prize by only one sentence :p
「国境の長いトンネルを抜けると、雪国であった。」
"When coming out of the long border tunnel, it is snow country." My 日本語 is bad, but this sounds like the first sentence of the original.

So, you are saying that the entire novel can be boiled down to this sentence.

[pipokun]

...
"When coming out of the long border tunnel, it is snow country."
...

Nice.
What do native English speakers feel to read your sentence above without any knowledge of "lack of the subject"?
Does the translation have the similar ambiguous (or diversified) images like the Japanese original?

For people who do not know the subject issue by Seidensticker, he translated the first sentence to...
The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country.
Correct, all too correct...

[GodEmperorLeto]

Nice.
What do native English speakers feel to read your sentence above without any knowledge of "lack of the subject"?
Does the translation have the similar ambiguous (or diversified) images like the Japanese original?

I can't answer this, partly because I've already read the book, so the ambiguities are a bit lost on me. Although the obvious interpretation is that trains come out of tunnels through mountains. However, tunnels could also be symbolic of internal journeys. Sometimes when you come out of a difficult period of your life, it is like emerging from a tunnel into light. Thus, emerging from a tunnel into a cold, white space might invoke images of purity after passing through a difficult period.

But I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that the "subjectless" translation is more ambiguous or diversified as the original. English is a much more precise language than Japanese. Besides, ambiguities in English is considered bad writing (unless the ambiguities are deliberate).

[tokapi]

川端康成　ノーベル文学賞受賞 ( video clip of Kawabata Yasunari @ Nobel Prize Ceremony )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NADMRJsMOio&feature=related