CUR 513 CHAPTER 5 PRESENTATION
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Group Members
Deena Alsuhaimi
Jenan Alsuhaimi
James Meade
International Literature
What is international literature?
• Traditionally thought of
as books written and
published outside of
the United States and
Canada.
Some Examples
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri
(Swiss)**
• Winnie the Pooh by AA
Milne (British)
• Platero and I by Juan
Ramon Jimenez
(Spanish)**
New U.S. Perspective
• Can be books
set in another
country but
written and
published in
the U.S. or
Canada.
A Couple of Examples
The Most Beautiful Place in the World
by Ann Cameron
Taste of Salt
by Frances Temple
Evolution of International Literature
Stories rooted in folklore are written
down and published
Jade and Iron
Anansi Stories from Africa
Less than 1% of books published in the
U.S. have roots outside North America
• First world nations possess an insular
sensibility due to their wealth of local
literature and so focus on their own books.
• The U.S. is also noted for its proactive attitude
towards content.
• No alcohol; Parent having a glass of wine with
a meal.
• Nudity; Breast feeding.
Publishing in the Post war Years
* Search for people who could translate and
read other languages to ascertain possible
viability for marketing.
% Editors had autonomy to “balance the books”
in order to take chances on unknowns.
$ 1990’s conglomeration of companies took
financial decisions out of division’s hands.
Our New Progressive Era
Issues Related to International
Literature
• 1. Access:
• A) There are few books that are translated onto English.
• B) Few books are published in the United States.
• C) The more different the experience, the more scaffolding
and recommendation is required to successfully connect the
material to new audiences.
• 2. Balance:
• A) Most of the international books available in English are in
the categories of folklore, historical, fiction, and fantasy.
• B) For example, many books about World War II have been
imported, creating a wealth of perspectives, but skewing the
numbers of books from outside the United State in terms of
representing varying time periods and topics.
• C) The need of Balance also implies the importance of
understanding that no one book can fairly represent a country.
• 3. Relevance of international books for a new
audience:
• . Some are concerned that references to details that
are (foreign) to young children may make a book
incomprehensible.
Criteria for Evaluating International
Literature:
• There are two crucial issues specific to international literature
:
• 1. Intended Audience:
• An international book is originally written from the
perspective of an author within the country, with readers in
that country as the intended audience. Only later is the book
taken abroad to other countries. When a book travels away
from its intended audience, sometimes readers in the new
audience need support to help them understand it. Teachers
should consider these questions:
• Q: Is the book geared specifically toward readers in the book’s
country of origin?
• Q: Does it make the transition to a broader audience outside
of that country? Who will be able to empathize and identify
with the story?
• Books written in the United States and intended for American
children tend to include explanations of things that readers
native to the country portrayed take for granted. Similarly,
books originally written for readers in another country often
assume understandings that only the original intended
audience would have. Sometimes, misinterpretations may
occur when details are not understood at other times, an
inability to pick up details doesn’t detract from the reader’s
understanding of the story as a whole.
• 2. Translation:
• The translator who makes it available to English language
readers plays an important role in the way the material is
received by the new audience.
• The translator does not merely present the author’s words in
another language, but instead interprets the words, selecting
ways to evoke images and emotions that reflect the author’s
original intent. The translator must consider several things:
• A) Creating a flow in the translated.
• B) Balancing the amount of Foreign information.
• C) Explaining foreign situations that are unknown to readers.
Making International Books Accessible
• Mitsumasa Anno
Japanese author.
• Ana Maria Machado
Brazilian author.
• Beverley Naidoo
born and raise in South
Africa.
Mitsumasa Anno
• Is award-winning won
Kate Greenaway Medal
Honor award.
• Anno’s most notable
book is “All in a day”
Anno’s other famous books
• Anno’s Counting House.
• Upside-Downers; More
Pictures to Stretch the
Imagination.
• Anno’s U.S.A.
• Anno’s Britain.
Ana Maria Machado
• Won the International
Hans Christian
Anderson Medal in
2000.
• Best known of her
picture book is “Nina
Bonita”
Machado’s other famous books
• From Another World.
• Me in the middle.
Beverley Naidoo
• South African author.
• Her first three novels
featured life in South
Africa where she lived
until her twenties.
• Her book “Journey to
Jo’burg: A South African
Story”.
Naidoo’s other famous books
• Chain of Fire.
• The Other side of the
Truth.
• Web of Lies.
• Baba’s Gift.
Authors from Past Decades
• Astrid Lindgren
• Johnanna Spyri
• Erik Kastner
• Others work was
originally written in
English:
• 1-A.A Milne
• 2-P.L. Travers
• 3-James Barrie
Countries From which there are books
translated into English
• Brazil: Ana Maria
Machado.
• France: Tomi Ungerer.
• Germany: Eugene
Trivizas.
• Italy: Roberto Innocenti.
• Sweden: Astrid
Lindgren.
Awards for International
Literature:
1-The Hans Christian
Andersen Award.
2-The Astrid Lindgren
Memorial Award.
3-The Mildred Batchelder
Award.
4-The White Ravens
Award.
Stories translated from Arabic to
English
• Ali Baba and Forty
Thieves.
• Aladdin.
• Dimna and Shatraba.
• Schehrazase The
Vizier's Daughter.
• Dindish and the
Sparrows Friends.
• Shantah's journey.