Has anyone read Aniara?

[BaraHime]

It's a shame we can't all just pitch in some money and buy a forum copy of Aniara we could mail back and forth. I doubt we'd find enough people who wanted in and were willing to trust they'd actually get it in one piece... Or give out their mailing address... Though it could be a fun little adventure... Meh.

 

[Xandra]

Thank you so much for explaining, Andreas! The backstory of Aniara gets more clearer the more I read and you are right of course. Also effort to make space travel sound exciting might have confused me a bit. But while the Mimarobe surely travels a lot, almost all people who leave earth don't. So it is very exciting and life-changing.

A fun (or rather sad) side note regarding the englishs version: Verse 42 was not translated. It said that verse 42 is not translatable from Swedish and was skipped with authorisation from the author. Aha. The friend who gave me the book is reading the book in Swedish at the moment so I asked her why this is so. I just got a very stunned reply that the verse is not very hard to translate at all. But the whole verse is all about sex and obviously the translator was too prude to work with it... unbelievable...

@BaraHime: That would be really awesome. I hope you people won't think I'm too selfish, that I don't offer my book. I just don't think I can let go of it. I mean it's a HARDCOVER! And it was a gift from a dear friend of course.

 

[BaraHime]

^ That's not selfish at all. You bought your copy all by yourself (well, your friend did anyway), the whole point of a communal copy would be that it would belong, in part, to all those who contributed to the purchase.

And WTF, the hell they just cut out a whole verse due to sex - all the wretched stuff that slides by and they cut the sex from a POEM!?
... Sooo... Translation?

 

[Xandra]

Haha! Well my friend refused to translate a poem, but she gave me the rough storyline. Which was quite fine. She also said it's not really that explicit at all, but the book was translated in the early 60's and I guess - different times, different moral standards.

I also just realized that my book is a first edition print...

Okay, maybe there was just one (hence the difficultiy to find it anywhere)... but now I think I should be extra careful with it!

 

[BaraHime]

^ Aww. I was hoping to learn something unladylike to say if I ever found myself boinking a nice Swedish boy. Drat, I guess I'll have to stick to my dirty Japanese. Well, that and my usual "BANANA CREAM PIE!!" Free cookie for anyone who actually understood that last bit.

 

[AndreasBlomqvist]

Interesting, my English version has verse 42 translated.
Not sure how well it is translated from the Swedish version (which I have returned to my father where I found it), and the translator has taken quite some liberties in the translation, which was necessary due to the poetic format. Well, here is verse 42 from my English book:

42 Libidel's song at the mirror

My life is a funny place
Come here and look and touch it too
And if you plead and give with grace
my little life belongs to you

Your gallop under Lyre's cluster
will make amemory when it's through
Life dwells in folds of silken luster
that little life that's best with you

Rider from the Lyre so wild
tap at my door for a rendezvous
With your seed I'll grow with child
in that little life that's best with you

It's staring. Staring cold outside
Come in, I'll bring some warmth to you
Suppose that in our arms cold died,
O, what hot thinking in the blue

Then Libidel would be admired
not smeared as now she is by swine.
Behold my body how desired,
it's been in words and in design.

 

[BaraHime]

^ Thanks hun. The way Xandra was talking I was expecting something scandalous. That's lovely, even with some liberties taken, I really don't see any reason to cut it.


EDIT: Quick like little bunnies! There's a cheap English Aniara hardcover on amazon! It's used (acceptable condition), but it's only $33.97 and qualifies for their free shipping! I snatched up the $45.00 Used (very good) copy myself, so huzzah! I'm glad I popped in to check that today. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...&ie=UTF8&qid=1344008940&sr=1-1&condition=used There are some used paperbacks for about $30 also: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...&ie=UTF8&qid=1344008940&sr=1-2&condition=used

 

[the_lone_bard]

Damnit damnit damnit damnit DAMNIT!

Amazon doesn't take Paypal.
And I already started draining my bank account into their today to pay for convention tickets.

This makes me sad.

 

[BaraHime]

^ They will take a card though. They've had mine for ages and I've never had a problem with them at all. Or you could make a pit-stop at the local grocery store to buy an amazon gift card or something, they work online also.

I know the feeling - I have to pay for my hotel up in NYC and over in Philly for the NW/Kamelot tour in September. That book will be my last splurge for a while. Hotels in those cities cost an arm a leg and a friggin' kidney.

 

[the_lone_bard]

Don't have a card. Living on aus on Centerlink, never had much need for one since I can easily carry an entire fortnights pay on me.

And we don't have Amazon gift cards over here (That I've seen.) Sometimes I hate living in the middle of nowhere.

 

[BaraHime]

^ Aw man, that really sucks.

 

[Xandra]

Interesting, my English version has verse 42 translated.

Thank you so much for posting the text, Andreas! I think I will print it out and put it in my book so it's complete. Really looks like I got a first edition here.

And I really have no clue why this is left out. Even for the early 60's this should not be a problem....

 

[victoriagrimalkin]

Reading this topic has sent shivers down my spine. When I listen to "The Great Escape", usually my eyes are closed and I imagine being aboard this immense spacecraft hurtling through blackness. (Meanwhile, I am pedaling to nowhere on my exercycle). I will continue checking back here for further comments from Xandra (lucky owner of a first edition of Aniara) and the lyricist himself. I love this epic song so much.

 

[Xandra]

A little hello from the slow reader. I have a really stupid time at the moment and can't concentrate much on reading. And since this is so difficult to read, I need my whole head on the topic.

But I just passed the part with the blind poet and while I agree, it has nothing to do with the story and it made sense to leave it out in the song... I enjoyed reading that part a lot. The description was very vivid and intense, I tried to imagine her situation back on earth, she really struck a chord within me.

All in all I'm so impressed about the vast amount of ideas, backstory, characters that are cramped into this poem. Most span a verse ore a couple of verses, nothing more. But they peak my interest enough that most of them leave me with yearning to know more about these people, the situation, their fate, how they feel, well - everything.

 

[BaraHime]

^ That's the same thing that got me hooked on Xenosaga. I've actually been re-re-re-re-replaying it to get in the mood for when my Aniara arrives. And I hope it comes soon, I'm all horny for deep space now.


Edit: I got my Aniara and some fresh ink! Today is a good day.

... Ignore that ugly chip in my nail polish. I got attacked by a rogue vase at work today.

Okay, edit of my previous edit, because I just read the whole thing in one sitting. It's been a while since I gobbled up a book like that, I'm very happy. You boys really did a great job turning it into a song, I especially liked the way you reworded 79 and 82. ...And thanks again to Andreas for providing the translation for 42, as my copy also has it omitted.

 

[sirclansman]

(Thanks to my good mate for borrowing), I got a copy of Aniara on my hands today. Looks great, and after I finish reading Tony Iommi´s Iron Man -autobiography, I'll get focused to Aniara. Cant wait for that!

 

[RandomUsername1988]

Sorry if I'm responding to a late thread, but this is the first google result so I figured I'd help anyone searching in the future. I was searching online to find a copy because I really didn't want to pay $150 for a 100 page poem (no matter how amazing it is), and I found this .pdf copy. It's free to read there on the webpage, and you can download it as a .pdf if you make an account and upload anything (literally anything, I uploaded a notepad document that said "cat") to their site. Link:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/238998252/Aniara


Hope y'all enjoy.

 

[Liampie]

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely read it now. Wouldn't otherwise, probably.