Cicada

この翻訳本を書店で見つけて、和訳もよかったが、是非とも原語で読みたいものだとアマゾンで注文。平易な英語ではあるが、そのそっけない表現がかえって心をゆさぶる。途中までは胸がつぶれるような思いで読み進めるのだが、最後に思いがけない希望があるという設定だというのが個人的な解釈。正解かどうかは著者のみが知るのだろうが、２０２１年の最高の一冊になるのは間違いない。ショーン・タンの展覧会も北九州でまだやっているので楽しみ。

I love Shaun Tan so it is really no surprise that I love this little book as well. This is 100% my take on his story, but the story was very much reminiscent of a Japanese salary man's life. Tan using a cicada for this book also seems fitting as cicadas are so common during Japan's hot and humid summers, that they've sort-of become an icon of summer vacation for this country of routine and traditions. Anyways, I don't think I've ever seen quite such an adorable cicada and his artwork is, as always, quite beautiful.

書いてあることはよく分からなかったが、繰り返し読むことで、味がする類のものであるということが分かった。 絵は楽しい。

17年間という意味、最後のオチが良いです。 日本語版を読んで、原本を購入しました。

日本の発売日より早く手に入ったことが良い点です。 そして印刷仕様も海外版の方が良いというか好きです。アライバルなども洋書で買いました。 ショーンタンの次作も洋書でお購入したいです。

翻訳でない方が意味が飲み込みやすいだろうと思って読んでみました。シンプルな単語で表現する英語版の方がよりグサっと刺さる感じがします。 初見ではなるほどと驚きましたが、何度も読んでいると、前半はかなり意図的に人間社会を批判する書き方に思われ、ややあざとさを感じてしまいました。まあ見事と言えば見事などんでん返しですが。世にも奇妙な物語のようなものと思います。 17年かけて羽化するジュウシチネンゼミというのがいるんですね。

本の内容は素晴らしいと思う。 しかし、インドの出品者は要注意‼️。出荷済みで、トラッキングIDまで送ってきたのに、到着日直前でキャンセル。他の方も書いてますが、インドの出品者は、要注意です❗️

While this is officially marketed as a children's book, I speak as someone who worked too many years in a cubicle & finally made his escape from it. And any adult who ever did the same will find that this all-too-accurate story strikes home with a vengeance! It certainly did with me. Of course, the art is darkly beautiful, as might be expected from the gift Shaun Tan. And the minimalist text works quite effectively, leading the protagonist (and the reader) into darker & darker territory … and then to a moving conclusion, with Cicada having achieved … well, I'll leave that to the reader to discover, as I don't want to spoil the surprising ending. Let me touch on the negative reviews, which find the story too grim & depressing for younger readers. I'd say that it's no different than the original fairy tales of yore, which were darker & more honest about life than what Disney & others have made of them since. And in any case, even if some of this goes over the heads of younger readers, many of their parents are actually living the same story; kids are perceptive enough to see & understand more than many adults are willing to admit. Finally, I can't see any of those younger readers being upset or depressed by the ending, particularly with Cicada's closing words. (Again, you'll have to see for yourself.) As my subject line notes, this almost reads like a Kafka story for kids. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. If anything, the story will evoke empathy & compassion in its younger readers. But worried parents might want to read it first & decide for themselves. As far as I'm concerned, highly recommended!

Ilustraciones tan llenas de expresividad que te sumergen en las emociones de cicada, talvés el lector es cicada en un millónn de formas.

I got it delivered on time with no damages.

Such a sweet book. Honestly reading it got me through some tough days. It’s really sad but the artwork is beautiful and definitely relatable. It’s the kind of thing I wanna pass down hehe.

Melancholisch. Subtil erzählt. Wundervoll gezeichnet. Respekt.