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The book has been damned because it is so carefully dreamed."

English translation: book has been severely criticised because...


09:06 Nov 13, 2007Login or register (free) for more options.
English to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
English term or phrase: The book has been damned because it is so carefully dreamed."
At the same time, the poems, many of them confronting the bleakness of West Virginia and Ohio mill towns, were intensely personal: "I was trying to write about a girl I was in love with who has been dead for a long time, I tried to sing with her in that book. Not to re-create her; you can’t re-create anybody, at least I can’t. But I thought maybe I could come to terms with that feeling which has hung on in my heart for so long. The book has been damned because it is so carefully dreamed."
Shirley Fan
China
Local time: 03:41
English translation:book has been severely criticised because...
Explanation:
This is a bit of guesswork in the absence of further context, but IMO the author would more likely say 'doomed' if he meant that it was bound to fail. My understanding is that it has been harshly or severely criticised (e.g by book reviewers) for having too much of a dream-like quality, and possibly that the author thinks that the criticism is unjust because his intention was to give it a dream-like quality and he put considerable effort into achieving this result.

It's a bit hard to imagine that an author would say that his own work was ruined by something done carefully.
Selected response from:

Ken Cox
Netherlands
Local time: 21:41
Grading comment
Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4book has been severely criticised because...Ken Cox
3 -1the book has been ruined because it is so carefull dreamed
orientalhorizon


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
the book has been damned because it is so carefully dreamed."
the book has been ruined because it is so carefull dreamed


Explanation:
it has been ruined and not stand up to the standard desired in dreams. The dreams have been so subtle and perfect that it's not really easy to reduce them to a book completely.

orientalhorizon
China
Local time: 03:41
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  V_Nedkova: I am not sure it has anything to do with critics. What I think is that very often artists say their works are not even close to the image they have in their heads. Sometimes the result looks like a monster compared to the dream..
6 hrs
  -> No problem, thanks a lot, take care V. Nedkova :)
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
the book has been damned because it is so carefully dreamed."
book has been severely criticised because...


Explanation:
This is a bit of guesswork in the absence of further context, but IMO the author would more likely say 'doomed' if he meant that it was bound to fail. My understanding is that it has been harshly or severely criticised (e.g by book reviewers) for having too much of a dream-like quality, and possibly that the author thinks that the criticism is unjust because his intention was to give it a dream-like quality and he put considerable effort into achieving this result.

It's a bit hard to imagine that an author would say that his own work was ruined by something done carefully.

Ken Cox
Netherlands
Local time: 21:41
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 88
Grading comment
Thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  xxxsofiablu: That's how I understand it
1 hr

agree  V_Nedkova: I am not sure it has anything to do with critics. What I think is that very often artists say their works are not even close to the image they have in their heads. Sometimes the result looks like a monster compared to the dream..
2 hrs
  -> you can change this to 'disagree' if you wish - just click Edit and select 'disagree'

agree  cmwilliams: yes, or it was misunderstood. this gives more context - http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9196792_IT...
3 hrs
  -> thanks for the ref

agree  conejo
11 hrs
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