14 Comments
Sep 3, 2021Liked by Kerry Smith

Love this Kerry. Great anecdotes, brilliant tips and kept me gripped from top to tail!

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Aug 28, 2021Liked by Kerry Smith

Sorry.. One more typo in point 2. Angela Duckworth leaving to 'each' math instead of 'teach'

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Hi Danny, thanks for the comment and so glad you enjoyed it. And great first sentence from one of the most influential pulp fiction writers. By coincidence, I have just started watching Lovecraft Country, which is brilliant. Though I doubt Lovecraft would have approved.

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Just dug out a old High Life article on Japan. The opening:

Art in the snow country / Mark Jones

Our translator emailed the names of the places we visited.

‘Kasumi–no–ma’ in Hotel TAKAHAN The room Mr. Kawabata wrote YUKIGUNI

House of light Holes in the ceiling

Ubusuna House Lunch with cheerful ladies

EhonToKinomino Museum Ehon (=children’s book) To (=and) Kinomi (=nuts)

Matsudai NOBUTAI With nice café and museum shop Matsudai (= village’s old name)

Kyororo Museum for natural life of the area.

Then I looked my own notes.

White out, just etched black telegraph poles

Is this the world’s most agreeable railway station?

“The store of drunken driving banishment declaration”.

Orange light, 70s furniture and surrealist snow scene

Starkers in hot pool with cigar = v. Tony Soprano

3am earthquake

Tables too small to hide under

Can art save The Snow Country?

Some journeys are pretty straightforward to write up. I looked that the notes and the translations and thought: this one will take a bit more unravelling than usual.

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Thanks so much Franck! And see what I mean?! Will be amazed if there's only one mistake!?

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Really liked this! Very useful Kerry.

My favourite opening sentence is by Lovecraft:

“West of Arkham the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut.”

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I'd forgotten about Kingdom of Pork. How could anyone forget Kingdom of Pork?

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Fantastic article, thank you, Ms Smith.

Small typo in Point 3: "No one wants to read something where they have to look up ever other word in the dictionary."

Best,

Franck.

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