Charing Cross Road - translations

[Eric]

During a brief visit to London, I went to several bookshops on the road in London leading from Leicester Square to Oxford Street: Charing Cross Road. There are at least three major bookshops for new books - Foyle's, Blackwell's and Borders, plus a variety of second-hand, e.g. and remainders ones. I also visited the medium-sized Waterstone's on Oxford Street near the Tottenham Court Road Tube station, and Daunt's on the Fulham Road.

Regarding translations, the situation seems marginally better then when I was in London before.

I did actually find a few copies of the Estonian novel by Mati Unt called "Diary of a Blood Donor" (translator: Ants Eert) in a couple of these bookshops, and found an Icelandic and Polish novel in translation on a display table in Daunt's. The Penguin Classics series has quite a few older works, and these are, of course, available everywhere.

The display table in Foyle's had several translations in the Vintage imprint (part of Random House). I can't remember the titles, but there were several, from a variety of languages. And in that bookshop was even one copy of my own translation of "Treading Air" by Jaan Kross. There were quite a few translated collections in the poetry section there.

But I still think that London bookshops could draw much more attention to those translated novels and poetry collections that there are, by having maybe theme weeks for countries or language areas, e.g. a Portugal & Brazil Week, or one for Scandinavia.

We're not out of the wood yet, I feel.

[Irene Wilde]

During a brief visit to London, I went to several bookshops on the road in London leading from Leicester Square to Oxford Street: Charing Cross Road. There are at least three major bookshops for new books - Foyle's, Blackwell's and Borders, plus a variety of second-hand, e.g. and remainders ones. I also visited the medium-sized Waterstone's on Oxford Street near the Tottenham Court Road Tube station, and Daunt's on the Old Brompton Road.


I teared up reading this bit. I miss London the way I'd miss air. All beside the point, I know, but gee...my adventures in and around TCR Tube Station are among my favorite memories...The Astoria, the Tottenham -- *sighs and wipes away a tear*

[Eric]

I'm in a different phase to Irene, in that I'm only just beginning to appreciate London. For many years, it was the place I popped down to, from near Birmingham where I lived, and although that city was even uglier in those days, and London still had some charm, I felt rather lost in the huge city, especially the outskirts and suburbs. I'm, at last, beginning to get the geography of the central part of the capital. This was not helped previously by always travelling by Tube, as you never get a picture, above ground, of where things are in relation to one another.

Incidentally, Daunt's bookshop on the edge of the Earl's Court area, is on the Fulham, not Old Brompton, Road. I've altered it in my posting, but the mistake is still visible in Irene's quote.

An authentic "Anthony Powell" pub I also visited in Fitzrovia was The Black Horse on Rathbone Place.

[Irene Wilde]

Not the Fitzroy, which gave Fitzrovia its name?

Did you happen to notice if the deli is still there on Old Compton Street near Dean St.? And did you get a chance to visit the Dog & Duck at Bateman and Frith? Or did your travels not take you in that direction?

[Eric]

I walked round Charlotte Street at an inappropriate time of day, too early for a liquid lunch. So the only "Anthony Powell" pub I visited was The Black Horse, one afternoon. But I saw all these others, the Fitzroy, the Marquess of Granby, and a few others. I'm glad that something of the back streets of historic London has survived the 1960s planners, but I find it faintly absurd that what was probably a rather scruffy area half a century ago, now has the Charlotte Street Hotel, which has five stars.

Foyle's is nicer than it was, ?sthetically speaking, but I mourn the second-hand department. Until some years ago, I think it was Foyle's that had the antiquated 1930s system of sending your money up to the cashier in a little container, through some pressure tube, and the container would come whooshing back a short while later with your change and the receipt. Nowadays, they've just got boring new electronic tills like every other shop.

Luckily, Foyle's has now normalised its relationship with its staff. Years ago, the owner Christina Foyle, was notorious for giving short contracts, in order to avoid having to pay benefits or insurance for the staff, which used to be made up of foreign students who were innocent of things such as British employment law.

Borders and Blackwells are a bit of a blur in my mind, having little real character, simply a nice, but not special, atmosphere.