tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post1832072983223300784..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: Solomon in KimonoTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-71873847737131688932011-06-20T13:11:21.658+02:002011-06-20T13:11:21.658+02:00Thanks for taking an interest in my blog and for p...Thanks for taking an interest in my blog and for pointing out that there's a translation of his work available. I don't know which stories were translated, nor the quality of them, but hopefully they reflect almost perfectly the quality and joy of the originals – and I hope you'll enjoy reading them as much as I have. <br /><br />And I didn't say he was xactly, or as good, as Chesterton, but that the type of stories, morals and sometimes fairytale-like atmosphere makes him very closely related to him. But you'll discover that for yourself!TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-69923883313474158772011-06-19T14:20:29.704+02:002011-06-19T14:20:29.704+02:00Congratulations for this interesting blog.
I'm...Congratulations for this interesting blog.<br />I'm curious about this book, althought I don't know the author. These mysteries sound captivating (and if Bertus Aafjes is as good as Chesterton for plot and storytelling, it is a must read). Unfortunately, he is not translated in French and I don't speak Dutch. But I found that a German translation has been made. I will try to read it.Gregorynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-5329955008068938022011-06-04T17:59:19.911+02:002011-06-04T17:59:19.911+02:00This author sounds interesting- not being Dutch my...This author sounds interesting- not being Dutch myself, I really can't add to the discussion except to whine about publishers skipping over interesting books in favour of Twilight and The Da Vinci Code.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-57137387762751529862011-06-04T12:30:38.218+02:002011-06-04T12:30:38.218+02:00Oh, I read Een ladder tegen een wolk many years ag...Oh, I read <i>Een ladder tegen een wolk</i> many years ago and the story I remember the best is the battle-of-wits between Ooka and a blackmailer in the courtroom, and his trap involved the Inari legend. Great stuff! <br /><br /><i>Een lampion voor een blinde</i> is one of my favorite stories that takes place during the Rangaku period, when the Dutch were the only Westerners allowed to set foot on Japanese soil, and Aafjes did a competent job at constructing an inverted mystery plot. <br /><br />I'm sure the stories were very much like the book you cited. Aafjes admitted, in his after word for <i>De koelte van een pauwenveer</i>, that those ancient texts formed the bedrock for most of his stories – and how he struggled in coming up with fair-play plots that would satisfy a demanding audience of modern detective readers. Are we a demanding lot? ;D <br /><br />Anyway, there's also non-fiction travel book from Bertus Aafjes, <i>Mijn ogen staan scheef: zwerftochten door het land van de Mikado</i>, which apparently includes a detailed account of his research for the Judge Ooka stories and visiting his gravesite. I'm seriously considering buying it.TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-87744722967514707882011-06-04T09:43:42.223+02:002011-06-04T09:43:42.223+02:00Heh, I happened to have picked up two Ooka books t...Heh, I happened to have picked up two Ooka books this week (<i>Een ladder tegen een wolk</i> en <i>Een lampion voor een blinde</i>). Read a couple of the stories in <i>Een ladder tegen een wolk</i> and they were quite fun, quite similar to the (real) Judge Dee records (<i>Parallel Cases under the Pear-tree</i>)Ho-Linghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673330638260132388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-87422117930373982832011-06-04T08:47:15.032+02:002011-06-04T08:47:15.032+02:00Todd,
Woefully, the Judge Ooka stories were compl...Todd,<br /><br />Woefully, the Judge Ooka stories were completely overlooked by foreign publishing houses and they are rapidly descending into biblioblivion over here. The future looks really bleak for Bertus Aafjes without any new reprints for nearly three decades. :/TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-21567303816777766752011-06-04T00:18:13.962+02:002011-06-04T00:18:13.962+02:00Ha. I see you'd followed the thread to Patti&#...Ha. I see you'd followed the thread to Patti's blog before I caught up to your query (and before I'd seen John's response, which my eye had skipped).Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815516018079824802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-53845657432029820642011-06-04T00:12:58.146+02:002011-06-04T00:12:58.146+02:00So, is this work available in translation into Eng...So, is this work available in translation into English?Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815516018079824802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-46474306222792983382011-06-04T00:11:10.925+02:002011-06-04T00:11:10.925+02:00Let Patricia (Patti) Abbott know that you'd li...Let Patricia (Patti) Abbott know that you'd like to participate in this roundelay, since she's the instigator...her blog, contracting her birthname, is <a href="http://pattinase.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Pattinase</a>.Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815516018079824802noreply@blogger.com