TOWN COUNSEL
I was interested to read that Sedbergh is being promoted as “England’s first book town”, as I live and work in a book town in England launched a year ago — Atherstone. (atherstonebooktown.com). There are five bookshops in the town, with a couple more expected to open soon. It was set up by James Hanna, who attempted a similar project in Blaenavon, South Wales.
Lisa Dundas, by e-mail
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IN OTHER WORDS
It was heartening to see Ali Smith’s defence of translation. Now that a high-profile writer says that we literary translators are worth something and that only 3-4 per cent of books in Britain are translations, I hope that those who have ignored our comments on this for some while will now sit up and listen.
As Smith points out, book translations are the only way that Britain will finally realise that it is blinkering itself culturally by pretending that no worthwhile books are written in languages other than English. Those who actually do the translations have been yelling this for ages.
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Eric Dickens, by e-mail
PILGRIM’S PREJUDICE
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I enjoyed Ann Treneman’s piece about Paulo Coelho. I have not read any of his books, but I admit that — since my gap year in Central America, when I had persistently to refuse dog-eared copies of his nauseatingly sandy-coloured “fable” The Alchemist, passed around by well-meaning fellow travellers in search of inspiration — I have hated him with a blind, prejudiced passion. Here’s hoping his “pilgrimage” gives London a wide, wide berth.
Tony Williams, by e-mail
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PIZZA THE ACTION
As a Pizza Express regular, I was interested to learn that I had helped to raise £1.4 million to help Venice in Peril simply by eating Venezianas. I’ll feel quite betrayed if they let it sink now!
Sammi Charles, Lewes