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Wikipedia: > Some chapters and paragraphs of the Japanese paperback edition were not included in the English translation. Translator Jay Rubin cut about 61 of
by wk_end 6y ago
Wikipedia:
> Some chapters and paragraphs of the Japanese paperback edition were not included in the English translation. Translator Jay Rubin cut about 61 of 1,379 pages, including three chapters (Book 2 Chapters 15, 18, and part of 17; and Book 3 Chapter 26). Combining the original three-volumes (Japanese) would have been too long, and so the publisher requested that ~25,000 words be cut for the English translation. These chapters contain plot elements not found elsewhere in the book. For example, the two missing chapters from the second volume of the original three-volume elaborate on the relationship between Toru Okada and Creta Kano, and a "hearing" of the wind-up bird as Toru burns a box of Kumiko's belongings (Book 2 Chapter 15). In the third volume, the computer conversation between Toru and Noboru Wataya (Book 3 Chapter 26) and Toru's encounter with Ushikawa at the train station are also omitted. In addition to reducing the word count, some chapters were moved ahead of others, taking them out of the context of the original order. At the start of Book 3 the chapters have been rearranged. Rubin combined two chapters called “May Kasahara’s POV” and moved the “Hanging House” chapter to make the chronology of events consistent.
- Wowfunhappy 6y agoThat’s not a translation, whatever the publisher is calling it! A translation attempts to accurately portray the original piece as written in another language. Not every word needs to be literal, but moving around chapters is clearly out of bounds!
- fenomas 6y agoHere's an email discussion where the translator discusses the cuts and changes. Notably, he mentions that Murakami knew about and was involved in the process. Jump down to the middle, starting from: "The cutting done on WIND-UP is a complex matter". > http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/murakami/complete.html http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/murakami/complete.h...
- Mediterraneo10 6y ago> That’s not a translation, whatever the publisher is calling it! Abridged translations have been pretty normal in the publishing world, in fact this is a tradition that goes back centuries. Think of authors who made a big splash across Europe in the Renaissance and early modern era: Cervantes, Chaucer, Boccaccio. They were usually read in abridged versions, not the full work.
- andi999 6y agoThis leaves me totally confused. How can rearranging chapter order reduce wordcount? Also I find the argument a 1379 page novel is 61 pages too large not believable (but who knows; well ppl who can read japanese would know if there wad offensive content)