Part 1, Chapters 1-15

[Rachel-K]

Hi all,

Please use this thread to carry on discussions of Thousand Splendid Suns from chapter 1, through chapter 15, (p.94).

[IBIS]

I wanted to bring up the wonderful blending of English and foreign words in A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS...

In an interview (San Diego City Beat--see the link in The Chat Room thread), Khaled Hosseini was asked why he used Farsi words in this, the first Afghani novel written in English. He answered that he wanted to add a "musicality, a cultural, ethnic flavor" to spice up the narrative. He wanted to add a sense of a different place and culture.

I think he succeeded very nicely. I've made a list of the words that have increased my vocabulary. They sound very beautiful. Almost poetic. I can understand why poetry is a highly crafted artform in Afghanistan.

In the very first sentence, "Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word HARAMI."

"...Thursdays, the day when Jalili visited her at the KOLBA."

The wonderful dishes that I could almost savor: (page 15)
"Nana taught her ...to cook rice and all the different toppings: SHALQAM stew with turnip, spinach SABZI, cauliflower with ginger."

(p.37) "The girl with the tattoo ...brought her meals on a tray, lamb kebab, SABZI, AUSH soup."

p.6 "But he was a coward, my father. He didn't have the DIL, the heart, for it. Jalil din't have the DIL either to do the honorable thing. To stand up to his family, to his wives and inlaws, and accept responsiblity for what he had done."

The native terms of endearment, which added tenderness to already emotional exchanges:
(p.32) "Let me take you home. Come on, DOKHTAR JO."

All these native terms brought me closer to the characters;they added an immediacy that made the story more real to me.

[Sunltcloud]

At the San Jose Book Group Expo I met several people who said they wished Mr. Hosseini had added a list of Farsi terms and their translations to the book. I feel that it is not necessary because most of these words become clear when one reads on. The question of including terms that might be alien to the reader are treated differently by different authors. Some put the term in italics, some put the translation in parentheses, some don't translate, some keep "homeland" terms to a minimum. To me the flavor of the novel is enhanced by the inclusion of such terms and I take delight in imagining their meaning; I try out the sounds by reading out loud; I think of the theatrics,the gestures that might encompany them. And I think that Afghans and other Farsi speakers will make comparisons, the way I do when I read a book in the English language written by a German author. I often encounter terms I used in my childhood and I feel delight or sadness, depending on the associations in my mind.

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IBIS wrote:
I wanted to bring up the wonderful blending of English and foreign words in A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS...

In an interview (San Diego City Beat--see the link in The Chat Room thread), Khaled Hosseini was asked why he used Farsi words in this, the first Afghani novel written in English. He answered that he wanted to add a "musicality, a cultural, ethnic flavor" to spice up the narrative. He wanted to add a sense of a different place and culture.

I think he succeeded very nicely. I've made a list of the words that have increased my vocabulary. They sound very beautiful. Almost poetic. I can understand why poetry is a highly crafted artform in Afghanistan.

In the very first sentence, "Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word HARAMI."

"...Thursdays, the day when Jalili visited her at the KOLBA."

The wonderful dishes that I could almost savor: (page 15)
"Nana taught her ...to cook rice and all the different toppings: SHALQAM stew with turnip, spinach SABZI, cauliflower with ginger."

(p.37) "The girl with the tattoo ...brought her meals on a tray, lamb kebab, SABZI, AUSH soup."

p.6 "But he was a coward, my father. He didn't have the DIL, the heart, for it. Jalil din't have the DIL either to do the honorable thing. To stand up to his family, to his wives and inlaws, and accept responsiblity for what he had done."

The native terms of endearment, which added tenderness to already emotional exchanges:
(p.32) "Let me take you home. Come on, DOKHTAR JO."

All these native terms brought me closer to the characters;they added an immediacy that made the story more real to me.

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