From Ambassador (Children's books translated from Icelandic into Japanese)
2023/6/5
I have written about Icelanders' love of books, but sadly there are not many books by Icelandic authors introduced in Japan. In this essay, I have mentioned a few books that have been translated into Japanese, but they tend to be in the field of mysteries and the like.
Despite this situation, some people are working steadily to translate Icelandic children's books. One of my favorite books is "Stina Stórasæng (Stina with the big duvet)" by Lani Yamamoto, a children's book about a little girl who is extremely sensitive to the cold and doesn't want to go outside. The “Kaibutsu (Monster)” series are also children's books translated from the Icelandic. This is a story about black-coloured, slightly awkward monsters. The word “Kaibutsu” is a translation of the Icelandic word Skrímsli, which is a general term for mysterious creatures, and the identity of the “Kaibutsu” is unknown in this book as well. However, there are no humans in this story and they do not seem to be harmful to people. They are rather cute.
Most translations of Icelandic books are retranslations of works that have already been translated into foreign languages, but AKAKURA Shohei (朱位昌併), who worked on these translations directly from Icelandic, is an Icelandic resident and speaks Icelandic fluently.
If you see them in a bookstore in Japan, please read it.
Despite this situation, some people are working steadily to translate Icelandic children's books. One of my favorite books is "Stina Stórasæng (Stina with the big duvet)" by Lani Yamamoto, a children's book about a little girl who is extremely sensitive to the cold and doesn't want to go outside. The “Kaibutsu (Monster)” series are also children's books translated from the Icelandic. This is a story about black-coloured, slightly awkward monsters. The word “Kaibutsu” is a translation of the Icelandic word Skrímsli, which is a general term for mysterious creatures, and the identity of the “Kaibutsu” is unknown in this book as well. However, there are no humans in this story and they do not seem to be harmful to people. They are rather cute.
Most translations of Icelandic books are retranslations of works that have already been translated into foreign languages, but AKAKURA Shohei (朱位昌併), who worked on these translations directly from Icelandic, is an Icelandic resident and speaks Icelandic fluently.
If you see them in a bookstore in Japan, please read it.