26 December 2009, 4:12 pm
Cathy Hirano, translator of Dragon Sword and Wind Child, has twice garnered the prestigious Batchelder Award for her translated novels. The Society of Writers, Editors, & Translators (SWET) interviewed her about Moribito and DSWC in July.
“SWET member Cathy Hirano is a Japanese-English translator living in Shikoku. Her translation of the young adult (YA) novel The Friends by Kazumi Yumoto (Natsu no niwa; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996) won the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for children’s literature in translation and the Boston Globe–Horn Book award for children’s fiction (both in 1997). Misa Dikengil interviewed Hirano via email about two recent YA publications: a translation of Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi (Seirei no moribito; Scholastic, 2008) and a revised reissue of her 1993 translation of Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara (Sorairo magatama; VIZ Media, 2007). Shortly after the interview, Hirano’s translation of Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit received the 2009 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic.”
Read the full interview here:
Young Adult Fantasy in Translation (SWET)
18 December 2009, 9:54 am
For those who don’t know, Tegaki E is a blogging service where entries and comments are handwritten, ie. with a mouse (or tablet). Recently it has blossomed into a thriving art site. Think of it as a cross between deviantART and Facebook Graffiti.
The ‘Magatama Trilogy’ tag on Tegaki has many entries, so here are the search results, feel free to browse through them! (This link has also been added to the Fanart page.)
There’s a ‘Noriko Ogiwara’ tag on Tegaki as well. It includes Magatama trilogy art as well as fanart for her other novels: link
17 December 2009, 6:06 pm
Here’s a treat for you today — Dragon Sword and Wind Child cosplay featuring Saya, Chihaya, and Torihiko. Look at those gorgeous handmade costumes! And I wonder where they got the Dragon Sword!
Cure is a Japanese cosplay community. You’ll need to register in order to view the photos fullsize. Fortunately, registration is free and the site has an English version that is easy to navigate.
16 December 2009, 11:04 pm
Another review from 2007, dated but still relevant and compelling, by Lesley Smith:
“Everyone has books that they grew up reading, titles which have as much power over them as adults as they did when seven years old. I’d love to say that Dragon Sword and Wind Child (空色勾玉 or Sora Iro Magatama) was one of the ones I read as a child but from reading it I can guess how children in Japan must have felt. … Dragon Sword and Wind Child is [Ogiwara's] debut novel and was translated by Cathy Hirano back in the early nineties and up until Viz republished it, English copies have been almost impossible to find.”
Read the rest of the review at:
Through the Eyes of a Journalist
You’ll be pleased to learn that VIZ has Cathy back to work on Dragon Sword’s sequel, Hakuchou Iden. Let’s all wish for the best!
15 December 2009, 9:08 pm
This is a comparatively older review, but nonetheless wonderful.
Reviewed by Katherine Dacey:
“It’s a testament to Ogiwara’s skill as a writer (and Cathy Hirano’s skill as a translator) that casual readers will still enjoy Dragon Sword without any knowledge of Japanese history or religion. Ogiwara spins an engaging yarn that evokes the spirit of Shinto mythology without ever sounding stuffy or archaic. A delightful read for fantasy lovers of all ages, whether you’re a Tolkein buff or a Takahashi fan.”
Read the full article at:
PopCultureShock