The Slovenian online newspaper Ljubljanske Novice has published a brief review of the recent translation of Scoop into Slovenian (Esklusiva). See previous post. The novel is described as:
…a satire on journalism. Waugh wrote the novel in part from the personal experiences he described in his book Waugh in Abyssinia (1936), and the characters are based on real people such as a newspaper magnate and a variety of other persons in whom we can easily recognize contemporaries. […] The novel’s humor has given it a wide response among readers and placed it on many of the lists of best books of our time. Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966) is considered one of the central English authors of the 20th century. The novels Brideshead Revisited and A Handful of Dust have been translated into Slovenian. The translation and accompanying text were prepared by Dušanka Zabukovec.
In Sweden, the newspaper Expressen has published a column in its Culture section which recommends a reading list of 11 books for conservatives. Among the two novels on the list is this one by Waugh:
“Brideshead revisited”, 1945. What is more beautiful than a lost paradise? It is the only thing that never disappears. It remains. It will not wither in the winds of time. Perhaps there once was something better than that which just happens to be.
The other novel listed is Midcentury (1960) by John Dos Passos. The remaining books listed are mainly political and cultural essays and critiques from Edmund Burke (French Revolution) to Harold Bloom (Western canon) and Horace Engdahl (Högkultur som subkultur).
The article, written under the byline “William Shakespeare”, includes this in its introduction:
…Many people want to be conservative today, but for one to do that with pride, it is not enough to wear a hat or a pearl necklace, support stability, fear abortion, and complain about threats against Swedish traditions. […] I know, it hurts to think, and it hurts even more to read, but if you want your conviction to be a good fit, you have no choice. That is why I will set you a task today: This is a small selection of classics, both personal and general, for someone who wants to don a tweed or a suit with a little more confidence…
A corrected translation has been provided by Maria Salenius who teaches at the University of Helsinki. Many thanks.
UPDATE (8 February 2020): The translation from the Swedish newspaper has been corrected and is substituted in the text. Thanks to Maria for providing this correction.
vissnar inte = does not wither
rädas = to fear
dräkt = suit (this would make most sense here but I would need the context to be sure)
I can take a closer look at the text, if you want, just send me the full text. Let me know; you have my contact info.
Thanks, Maria. I have substituted your version. I am wondering if the reference to tweed should be “If anyone wants to don a tweed suit with a little more confidience” ? That makes more sense in English but doesn’t seem to fit the Swedish. Can tweed in Swedish be a reference to a piece of clothing? In English it is a type of cloth but it can be used as a piece of clothing as in “He was wearing tweed” “It was cold and he donned his tweed” or as a type of cloth as “He was wearing a tweed suit”. It is considered rather old fashioned so would be something worn by conservatives. jeff
In Swedish, ’a tweed’ is sometimes referring to a tweed coat or suit, although it also refers to the cloth. But yes, your suggestion is surely more idiomatic in English. Here, literally, the text can be seen to refer to both male and female conservative clothing, with “tweed” for the male coat or suit, and “dräkt” for a woman’s skirt-and-jacket ensemble. I was probably just picturing Charles and Sebastian…