Roald Dahl

[Koa]

Ok, this is the official thread about Dahl....for me and faye to remember our happy childhood!!! :D

We were talking about Matilda...Opening it last night after ages I started wondering about something I usually wonder about everytime I read something now, but I didn't care about as a child (I wasn't a corrupted linguist yet I guess): the translation.

Please please please, tell me tell me tell me how the names of the characters are in English! In my edition they're ridicolously translated...I guess they had no choice, a child would have never understood them in English, but it feels like translating the names in Dickens (which I'm sure most people don't understand anyway...)... In Matilda's class there's a boy whose name is translated as NILO...now I assume in the original he's Niles (like the servant in 'The Nanny' tv series :D), but at the time it irritated me, as it makes no sense in Italian as a person's name! I think the translation should have been more sensible...

And what about Dahl's other books...?

[fayefaye]

lol. I read bits of it yesterday too. Reminded me how good he was. I also remember liking the Witches and pretty much all his books, but Matilda was an absolute favourite. Ok, i'll go get the book and give the names;teacher Miss Honey, Matilda Wormwood, brother Michael, headmistress Miss Trunchbull, other kids-lavender[her friend], nigel, older kid-hortensia,amanda-flung by her hair, bruce bogtrotter-cake guy, more kids-rupert, eric,

[Stanislaw]

Did you see the movie,Maltilda, It is very close to the book. I was actually suprised.

The witches movie wasn't the best though.

[Koa]

The movie didn't seem interesting, I didn't watch it.
I didn't know there was a movie about The Witch.
I didn't even see the movie about the Chocolate Factory, that was great too.

I agree, Matilda was my fav. too. I've never owned a copy of The Witches, a teacher lent me hers and I read it in one day. Oh no wait now I seem to recall a movie.... *memories lost in fog...*

Thanks for the translations faye, as I guessed they were pretty close but with those slight differences... like Matilde Dalverme (which literally would be 'From worm', and the teachers is called Dolcemiele (= Sweethoney)...and some of the others would be long to explain.

How was the title of that book about the couple of old disgusting people...? (well i guess I should just get up and check on mine, it's surely written in a little corner...)

[fayefaye]

what? the title of the book? isn't that straight forward? matilda-what old disgusting people?

[Koa]

Nope, the title of another book, about a couple of old disgusting people...maybe not even too old, just disgusting... I don't remember. Always by Dahl, but I'm not sure I liked it much...

[Koa]

Uh found it... Apparently the original title is The Twits.

[fayefaye]

yeah, I remember that, but not much about it either. I also remember that book about Danny, you know and they caught those birds by sewing poison into those little thingies... vague I know. but who could forget charlie and the chocolate factory?

[Koa]

Noone can!!! ... but I dont think I know that Danny you're talking about... *will think about it*

[fayefaye]

I think it was called 'Danny Champion of the World'. [not sure]

[Azoic]

Danny Champion of the World sound right. That was a great book. Anyone else read 'The BFG?'

[Stanislaw]

I think there is a movie for bfg. I never read or saw, but my sis said it was good. Dahl sure has alot of movies after his books.

[Koa]

BFG??? If it's the one about the giant, it was GGG for me... *sighs*...translations...so hateful and so necessary...

[IWilKikU]

What did GGG stand for? BFG was the Big Friendly Giant.

Unless your playing Doom 2, in which case its the Big F**king Gun.

[fayefaye]

I loved bfg. I suppose ggg is the italian translation's abbreviation, right? Doom, well I've never really been into computer games, but I think I've played that before... it was kinda fun. *evil smiley*

[Koa]

lol @ the big F*king gun... :D

GGG stands for Grande Gigante Gentile... which means Big Kind Giant (more 'kind' than 'friendly', but it doesn't make too much different in this context...you don't want me to babble for hours about slight difference of meanings, don't you?:D)... I don't really remember much of that book, I had borrowed it as well. I had totally forgotten about it even!
GGG sounds very cool tho, cos it's always the same letter :)

[Regina61285]

Hi! we were reading many Roald Dahl's short stories and all them are in some way related to the idea of Divine Justice. Now I have to write something about that. So I'm looking for ideas regarding "Divine Justice."
I personaly things that life is karma; you get anything you give. Life is a constant balance between ying and yang, there is always a kind of equilibrium in everything.

what do you think?

[WICKES]

And what about Dahl's other books...?

As a kid I used to love his two volumes of autobiography- 'Boy' and 'Going Solo'

[Remarkable]

I ADORE Roald Dahl!He was an essential part of me growing up!And "The BFG" was an absolutely wonderful book,my first Dahl book actually.

Wow!Thanks Koa for reminding us:D!Now I'll go and pull out some old copies and read...There goes my learning of physics for tomorrow:p...