Saturday, December 29, 2007

mais vont-ils comprendre?

I sent a copy of my book, Water from a Skull, to my French maman and papa; Maman assured me that Papa would give it a go. Both parents were learning (or re-learning) English recently, for job-related reasons. They're retired now, but they still look in on their clothing business and sometimes deal with English-language emails.

I imagine that reading my book is going to be something of a struggle for Papa, who is the more likely of the two to sit down with it. He promised to try it out, though; I'm hoping it's to his liking. To his credit, Papa has an interest in foreign languages, though he tends to prefer classical ones like ancient Greek and Latin. Well, if the old SAT wisdom applies across the Atlantic, then knowing those Greek and Latin roots may be of service in reading my book. He also has an interest in religious and philosophical questions, which makes me think my book will be up his alley.

I told my French folks that I'd like to do a French-language version of the book someday, but that it would take an enormous amount of time. We'll see. After the walk, I'll be back in Korea, perhaps at Smoo again, or at a university that offers a better vacation/benefits package. Assuming I get long vacations, I'll embark on la version française, among other projects.


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