| "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is a beautiful and | | | | translated into many languages - there are, for |
| cozy fairy tale that has been making generations of | | | | example, several Russian translations available to this |
| children and adults alike smile and feel happier. Very | | | | day, and my daughter has some of them. Still, they |
| unusual for the genre, it's not really a fairy tale, but a | | | | could never compete with the original. |
| child's dream - too logical and clear for a dream, but | | | | While re-reading the book for the purpose of |
| way too muddled and crazy for our boring real world. | | | | reviewing it, I still laughed hard at the fussy White |
| In writing "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Lewis | | | | Rabbit, touchy Mouse, ferocious Queen fond of |
| Carroll has done something that few writers manage | | | | beheading and the ridiculous trial, which, I'm told, |
| to do: he has created a new genre, something that | | | | parodies the real proceedings of the author's time (and |
| hadn't been heard of. Lucky are those writers who | | | | I'm not sure that modern ones are much better than |
| manage it: they are bound to wake up famous one | | | | that). I can imagine that the deep philosophical question |
| day. | | | | of whether it's possible to behead someone or |
| I remember how I first found this book in a local library | | | | something that has a head but no body could cause a |
| when I was just starting to read in English. "Alice" was | | | | serious and heated debate in certain circles. There's |
| so easy to read - so much easier than most of the | | | | definitely more in Cheshire Cat than meets the eye - |
| books I could find. And yet - who was it who said that | | | | and I must admit that he is my favourite character in |
| it would be easier to move London than to translate | | | | this book. |
| "Alice"? I have to agree with it, because the book is full | | | | But what I love best about the book on the whole is |
| of puns built around English words that are spelled | | | | the air of joyful, unspoiled purity that only a child's |
| differently, but pronounced the same or very similar | | | | dream can possess. Lewis Carroll - definitely not a |
| ("tale" - "tail", "tortoise" - "taught us", "porpoise" - | | | | child at the time of writing - has done a great job of it. |
| "purpose", etc...) and funny verses slightly similar to | | | | His book effectively pulls me out of my winter blues |
| well-known English verses, but in fact mocking them. | | | | any day and within a few minutes - just as soon as I |
| These would have to be rewritten in every language | | | | visualise a cake with "Eat me" written upon it. |
| "Alice" is translated to, still keeping the same mocking | | | | I believe this particular fairy tale is not meant for very |
| similarity to their originals translated into the same | | | | little kids: not under nine at any rate. But it's very good |
| language. | | | | for adults of any age, for as long as they have their |
| But the book is so famous and so loved that it was | | | | inner child, however deep it might be hiding. |