What was said about HanselRead the Reviews"This rich new selection from Jim Mainland is for savouring and re-reading, and enjoying the taste of the words and the dexterity of the language." "The words are complemented and enhanced by the presentation from hansel Cooperative Press..." "The hare and the birds come alive in the pen and ink drawings created by John Cumming, each proof of careful observation...The art is in the writing too, where colour, light and shade emerge in different poems." "What one might call Villon's full-frontal confrontation with sex, life, death and the universe obliges the Shetland dialect to boldly go where it had not gone before." "To translate from French into Shetlandic is one thing. To inhabit the medieval rhythms of Villon, an almost mythic figure, who packed sex, priest - murder, chapel - robbery, banishment, reprieve, a threat of hanging, another reprieve, more banishment - into a brief 32 years in the 14 hundreds - is another thing again" "Drawings by Orkney artist Diana Leslie complement the text, which includes translations of a selection of Lorca's poems from the Spanish into Shetland dialect." "A Shetland poet originally from Yell has achieved national sucess with his dialect work." "Williamson has kept the translations true to the spirit of the original." "The dialogue is often delightful...The lively action and Frances Pelly's fine illustrations also help to make this a very good story to read to bairns, or for them to read on their own." "The adventures of a family of cats is the subject of a charming children's story by Christine De Luca, well known locally as a poet. Written in dialect, the story is easy to follow, even for non-dialect speakers (who can use the glossary at the back) and its use adds charm to the very local story...The book has drama and a satisfying conclusion, just right for the target audience of under-nines, and suitable for reading aloud or for reading alone. And the numerous pen and wash drawings by Orkney-based Frances Pelly complement the story perfectly." "Fishing is more than just an industry, it is a central part of these islands' history and of their culture." "Although this book is full of fun, it has a serious sea background." "Over the years I as a Hispanist have read many translations of Lorca's poems, particularly of his ballads. It had never occurred to me that the best, the most near in spirit to the original, would be not into English, but Shetlandic." "What impresses me most in these translations is the music of the poetry, the strong rhythms that match the power of the original, and the Shetlandic's long vowels contribute greatly to this." "...it starts by looking and feeling really lovely - as we've come to expect from Hansel Press - with some beautiful monochromatic artwork from Diana Leslie." "Christie Williamson writes confidently, with considerable flair and invention, and demonstrates a quiet, secure kinship with the originals." "The latest incarnation of the project is this elegant booklet, which inevitably foregrounds the poetry, though the artists' contributions are well represented in photographs...Each pairing of poet and artist was obviously a fruitful and stimulating exchange...A truly fine bulderation, in all." "Alias Isobel is a dazzling, profound narrative poem drawn from recent Orcadian history..." "It was lovely at the readings this summer to hear folk reading their own poems because there was such a diversity of voices." "George's Marvellous Medicine is a hilarious book. Dare I say, Christine De Luca's translation is even funnier. She really demonstrates how descriptive and humorous our dialect can be. On speaking to a few youngsters that have read both books, this is the one thing they all agree on." "...pleasingly naughty, and full of the wild, onomatopoeic language that [Christine] believes the Shetland dialect is particularly good at. It shows children that the dialect isn't old and stuffy, but modern and evolving." "Da Shetland translation, by Christine De Luca, is truly Phenomenal." "Christine's sessions highlighted the richness of the dialect and the expressive qualities within it and by the end of the sessions the bairns of Mossbank had added a number of words to their Shetlandic vocabulary." "An old sixareen lay on one side of the hall and there were several other boats suspended at different levels above us - the perfect setting for poems about islanders, boats and the sea." "...providing links and encouraging the exchange of ideas between people in the two island groups, in the process of developing new work." "Morag MacInnes' poem, Language was teh Scottish Arts Council's Scots Poem of the Month for August 2008." "...encapsulates our northern imagination: crafted, venturing, rooted, oceanic." "Within the scope of the idea, the possibilities are tantalising and have yielded some remarkable writing...Let's hope that when this poetry finally sails into the briny blue yonder it's found at the other side by word and art lovers, hauled in and treasured." "Alias Isobel represents very fine poetry by an accomplished wordsmith." "The tales are rich in feeling and any child will want to cuddle up and listen and will want to hear them again and again." "Morag MacInnes gives Isobel a voice, a strong, uncompromising, earthy Orkney voice, and lets her tell the tale herself...The poems are lean, forceful and memorable." "As with Hansel's earlier publication of Laureen Johnson's poems, the book is a physical joy in itself...Between the covers lies a treasury of poems capturing the essence of Stella Sutherland's life's work as a poet." "You will read few poetry collections as enjoyable as this one, and the reason is straightforward: Laureen Johnson is an extremely talented writer." "Each story is beautifully told with a fine variety of pace, good diction, and conveying all the atmosphere, excitement and suspense that should ensure holding the listeners' attention." "On first listening to the CDs, I was struck by how all the stories have been written to blow away the stereotypes of dialect literature that it is old-fashioned and set in the past...the recorded accents of the readers have a familiarity with them that relaxes the listener." |