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A review by roseofoulesfame
Poems from the Edge of Extinction: An Anthology of Poetry in Endangered Languages by Chris McCabe
4.0
I saw this at a language fair last year and somehow refrained from buying it immediately.
I bought it the very next day though.
Zero regrets.
This is a fascinating collection of poems from all over the world, written and/or recited by native or near-native speakers and accompanied by translations into English. Each poem is also accompanied by a quick explanation of where the language is spoken, what its current status is (critically endangered, vulnerable, etc.) and which other languages it resembles (if any), as well as giving a bit of backstory regarding both the poets and the people translating their work.
As a word-nerd I must admit I enjoyed puzzling out what the words meant in the original poems as much as I enjoyed reading the translations! Is my translator brain ever off duty, that is what we must ask ourselves.
Anyway, protect minority languages y'all.
I bought it the very next day though.
Zero regrets.
This is a fascinating collection of poems from all over the world, written and/or recited by native or near-native speakers and accompanied by translations into English. Each poem is also accompanied by a quick explanation of where the language is spoken, what its current status is (critically endangered, vulnerable, etc.) and which other languages it resembles (if any), as well as giving a bit of backstory regarding both the poets and the people translating their work.
As a word-nerd I must admit I enjoyed puzzling out what the words meant in the original poems as much as I enjoyed reading the translations! Is my translator brain ever off duty, that is what we must ask ourselves.
Anyway, protect minority languages y'all.