Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton
After a long weekend, AUP hosted a virtual event concerning an upcoming novel that will be published by Fitzgeraldo publications. Hosted by Daniel Medin, the event began with a taste of Japanese Rock from the 80s that translated seamlessly into the novel which recounted Polly Barton’s experience as a translator and author in Japan.
Image Credit: Unsplash / Connor Luddy
Barton is a Bristol-based author and a Japanese translator. Her book incorporates her experiences as a translator. She describes the sensations of feeling culture shock in your home country after studying another culture for extended periods of time and wanted to document these initial sensations that later are forgotten. As an undergraduate, Barton studied philosophy, which has deeply inspired her new novel Fifty Sounds. According to Barton, learning Japanese in the ways it was used and spoken, was an extension of her philosophy studies.
“No matter how much time you study a language and those who speak it, there are shocking moments where there are intrinsic things besides language to learn,” she says. Her studies of the Japanese language alone could not prepare her for the experiences of living as an expatriate. Barton also mentions that no matter how perfect her Japanese was, as a white woman, she always had moments of feeling like an outsider. In her novel, she explores these raw feelings of being a foreigner in Japan and themes of love and adventure. She specifically notes how the different sounds of Japan shaped these experiences.
Image credit: Unsplash/Alexandra Fuller
Barton’s experiences abroad are also experiences that most at the American University of Paris can relate to. Even after strong efforts to perfect the French language, there are still moments where we can feel like outsiders. There are ways that Paris has shaped us in our formative years, which can be shocking when returning home. If the book interests you, make sure to order a copy here!
