/lit/ - Literature

>>18617995
Fascinating, nice work

This is the original thread:
https://i.warosu.org/lit/thread/S18477402

I'm probably not going to post a bunch of sections from the book ITT, so please help to keep this thread alive.

>>18617995
You're doing a very good work. I won't buy a copy because I'm a third-world, but I'll bump your threads whenever I see them.

>>18618011
>third-worlder

Fix'd

>>18618006
>>18618011
Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Glad there are other people here who find this sort of thing interesting

Just read his first letter, it's a very unique snapshot of an unusual perspective on WW1. Was he a war journalist? He writes about how his reports would be read back in Japan. Interesting how he was an Italophile but clearly very proud of being Japanese, like telling the wounded Italian his nationality instead of his name. The children being totally unfazed by the war was a nice moment as well, you often miss experiences like that in more general histories.

>>18617995
That sounds really interesting.

>>18618074
>Was he a war journalist? He writes about how his reports would be read back in Japan. Interesting how he was an Italophile but clearly very proud of being Japanese,

Not OP, I was in a previous thread and spoke with him a bit, I read parts of the book in the original language
Harukichi Shimoi was a professor of Japanese at the "Oriental University of Naples", and he had good connections with politicians and academics. He did not just come to Italy to report on the war

>like telling the wounded Italian his nationality instead of his name
Let's be honest, the soldier was probably barely literate at best, would he have been able to remember a Japanese name?

>>18618074
>>18618150
Some sources say that Shimoi was sent as either an unofficial diplomat or a spy. It seems possible at least, since he seemed to hang around all the important people.

>would he have been able to remember a Japanese name?
To be fair Shimoi was one of two japanese people in Italy at the time. He probably didn't need to tell anyone his name to be remembered, and its likely most people just referred to him as "the japanese" anyways.

bump

I remember the thread, that was quite a while ago. Good job mate.

>>18617995
I remember that thread well anon.
Keep up doing God's work

Thank you anonbro

>>18617995
Fucking nice desu

>it's a good book

Based and self-confident pilled

>>18618074
According to wikipedia he saw a lot of parallels between the Italian unification and Japanese history. The transitioning from a loose collective of feudal states to a modernized nation state was, I imagine, still recent memory for Japan so seeing Italy going through the same thing probably inspired a feeling of camaraderie. Shimoi had been the mayor of a small city in Japan before leaving for Italy, and given his ancestry and involvement in right wing secret societies, was almost definitely well connected to the government. Its likely that he was sent not only as a Dante enthusiast, but also as an unofficial ambassador of goodwill between Japan and Italy. The history of Japanese-Italian relations are quite ancient, moreso than relations with any other European country, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case. Being a professor, a poet, and a curiosity on account of his nationality, Shimoi was able to hang out with a lot of the important people of Italian society, in particular D'Annunzio who he was good friends with (in 'the Triumph of Death' Shimoi shows up as a character in one of his dinner parties), and I'd assume that D'Annunzio's infectious militarism played no small role in inspiring Shimoi to see the front for himself. He wasn't a war poet, but he was definitely in correspondence with Japanese journals as a promoter of Italian culture. In (I think) his second letter he actually complains about being treated as a war journalist, because he wants to see the front lines as a participant. The fact that he ended up joining the Arditi and participating in D'Annunzio's march on Fiume makes me think that Shimoi was more motivated by a sense of honor and Japanese militarism than any political or financial motives. The Samurai are kind of crazy like that. Unfortunately I don't read Japanese, so I can only speak for what sources I've read in English and Italian.

>>18619332
>>18619370
>>18619431
>>18619461
Thanks you guys. Hope you enjoy the story.

>>18617995
I will help spread the word to my fascist bros, thanks OP.

>>18620449
>The transitioning from a loose collective of feudal states to a modernized nation state was, I imagine, still recent memory for Japan so seeing Italy going through the same thing probably inspired a feeling of camaraderie
In 1910s Italy had been united for half a century already, they only lacked Trento and Trieste.
>>18620477
Fascism wasn't invented yet in ww1

>>18617995
I don't mean to be that guy but do you have an epub ?

>>18620623
The groundwork for fascism was being laid at the very time and place of this book, you historically illiterate tard. This book will be of great interest to fascists.

>>18620683
>The groundwork for fascism was being laid at the very time and place of this book
True
>This book will be of great interest to fascists.
True
>you historically illiterate tard.
Do not fucking dare try to teach my country's history to me.

My point still stands.

>>18617995
Is good to know anon is translating books. I plan on doing the same in the future.

>OP delivers
Between this thread and the Italian Canadian who's going to save Cambodia, the Italians are really punching above their weight in /lit/erary lifestyles today.

>>18620801
OP is not Italian btw

>>18620477
Thanks anon. Make sure you pressure them into buying a print copy, it helps me stay unemployed so I can dedicate more of my time into translating.
http://tikhanovlibrary.com/Pacificanonica.html#italian_war_japanese

>>18620667
Just convert the pdf.

>>18620801
I'm Canadian lol. I guess the true north is finally hitting it's literary stride.

>>18617995
Thanks man, very interesting

>>18620882
>Canadian
>the leafs are saving /lit/
I don't know how to process this feel

>>18620882
I never succesfully converted a pdf to epub. It always gets fucked up.

>>18620882
>>18620919
This. Canada finally gave us something good besides Neil Young and The Band.

>>18620449
>According to wikipedia he saw a lot of parallels between the Italian unification and Japanese history.
He's not the only one. Look into Takekoshi Yosaburo.

>>18621148
Very interesting. You have any links regarding his book Economic Aspects of the Civilization of Japan? I love these sorts of history books.

>>18621206
>You have any links regarding his book Economic Aspects of the Civilization of Japan?
I actually don't. I had his New History of Japan in mind. If you'd like to look more into this stuff, you'll have to learn Japanese, by the way.

>>18621263
Too bad. I'll keep my eye out for his stuff all the same. Any shorter essays you recommend? Something I could run through google translate to get an idea for his ideas.

>>18621329
He wrote in Classical Japanese, so Google Translate would be of no help. All I can say is that you may be able to find hints if you look at Sources of Japanese Tradition. You can find both volumes on b-ok.

>>18621352
Lol okay. I probably won't read him because I don't even speak regular Japanese, but I appreciate the suggestion all the same.
Have you ever considered doing translation work? It's a lot easier than most people think, and I could help you get started. I'm trying to start a sort of hub for translation work and Pacific-Rim literature, and it would be really great to include more Japanese authors into that.

>>18621352
I "know" a Japanese woman who is also an accomplished calligrapher

Do you think she will be able to translate classical Japanese?

hello from ontario. picked up a copy myself. there were some typos. but i applaud what you have done. here's hoping you are able to keep it up. cheers, OP.

>>18617995
Btw, I might have a physical book which might be interesting to you. I'm not shipping it oversea, and I don't know how to digitalize it

>>18621446
Nice, thanks for sharing anon. I never actually ordered a print copy for myself so I'm glad to see it turned out okay. How are the dimensions? Thanks for supporting me with this, God willing I'll be able to make a living off writing and translating someday.

>>18621487
Interesting. Care to share a brief description?

>>18621513
Right now I can't pick up the book to take pictures of it (family reasons). I only read the first 20-30 pages, it looked like a noir novel to me. I don't have any actual way to be sure it's a legit "autobiography of a RSI officer" or just larp.

OP, did you translate this out of Japanese or Italian? Which language was it originally written in, was it published in both?

>>18621578
Not OP, but we spoke in another thread
It was originally published in Italian
OP told me doesn't even speak Italian, but knows French, Spanish, etc. and worked from his knowledge of these languages

>lampbylit.com

Hey reach out to editor anon to promote this. This is good stuff

>>18617995
very nice

>>18621446
Hey would you mind if I used this pic for promotional purposes on my website? I like the lighting.

>>18621892
Great idea, I'll do that.

>>18621578
Apparently it was published in both, but I've only found the Italian version. If I knew any Japanese it would be interesting to compare the two.

>>18622895
yeah for sure, you have my blessing.

>>18621505
the dimensions seem fine. the book feels solid. the font is giant but i think that was just part of the formatting given the length. there are some spacing issues where certain lines may only have 3 or 4 words but it definitely isn't shit.

like if this was my first entry into translation, id be very happy.

The cover is honestly a bit funky but I think it'll do

your people(translators) are blessed and you do not receive enough love for what you do. had it not been for people such as yourself I never could have read eumeswil. keep up the good work.

>>18621420
No, because it is as different from modern Japanese as Latin from French.

>>18623055
Fair points. I wasn't happy with the font either, but I wanted to keep the formatting similar to the original book. My theory is that the version on archive.org is probably a tiny pocketbook. Eventually I'd like to redo the whole book and add some more sections with Shimoi's adventures in Fiume, but its like they say, perfect is the enemy of good enough, and after spending a month hunched over my laptop working on this I was pretty much ready to be done with it and never see it again. I'm glad you liked it anyways.

>>18623174
Thanks anon. Eumeswil is one of my favorite books, I wish tIWasbJ was half as good as that. I'm working rn with a couple Chinese friends on America Against America by Wang Huning, so expect that to drop in a year or so. It's one of those brilliant books that only comes along once in a generation, so we'll wait until we've got a full-assed version until we release it.

>>18623163
What don't you like about it?

>>18623421
My man just looks so obviously photoshopped in there
The text below thte title also looks a little off-centred

>>18623444
Noted. I'll try to fix those issues on the 2nd edition.

>>18623499
Thanks dude

Good work again btw

i bought a copy OP and although I'd never heard of this guy i was pleasantly surprised by how nice and passionate these letters read

there are some beautiful moments in the book

>I wanted to go immediately to Piazza Dante. And I easily found - nay, was offered - a guide, an old gentleman who was running towards me, shouting "Viva l'Italia!"
>...He told me - or rather, he let me know while gesticulating - that, out of extreme joy, he had been screaming continuously all day and evening, unable to eat or sleep because of the excitement.

>>18617995
Anyone know any memoirs from Italian soldiers in ww2? Or any mountain soldiers from any side in ww2? Thanks

bump

>>18617995
good thread