Translators From Canada

"During my four months at the bookstore, I read over one hundred and fifty books. ... That's the biggest luxury in life, right? Time. To have that time to be in one place to read ... or whatever you want — whatever your passion is."

"is the anti-Paris. Lodged among the rocky cliffs on France's southern coast, it is a brash and sun-scoured city. Instead of the refined culture and polished façades of the capital, this sweaty port exudes a raw humanity difficult to find in the north. There is little of the wealth of Paris and none of the rush; in Marseille, it is still custom to take a in the afternoon and to spend the early evening sipping apéros under the cooling sky."

"I used to be a crime reporter for a newspaper in a midsize Canadian city. We liked to say we had a population of a million people, but that figure included farming communities an hour's drive from downtown. For me, a more relevant statistic was the murder rate. There were a steady fifteen or twenty a year, maybe twenty-five if things were particularly good, at least good from a crime reporter's point of view. Mine was a foul profession. The object was to pry into the dark corners of life and drag out all that was vile and diseased for public contemplation: an infant girl raped with a flashlight, a toddler drowned in a backyard swimming pool while the baby-sitter napped, a young father crushed by a rowdy car of drunken teens. This was the daily routine, a steady stream of sorrow that gradually colored my vision of humanity and dulled my sense of compassion."

"2. , , Paris, France has been running what he calls "a socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore" for 50 years. His store has long been a literary hub, attracting the likes of Henry Miller, Richard Wright, and William Burroughs. More importantly, George has been inviting people to live in his shop from its very first days. There are now 13 beds among the books, and he says that more than 40,000 people have slept there at one time or another. All he asks is that you make your bed in the morning, help out in the shop, and read a book a day. After living here for five months, I was inspired to write my own book about the place."

"What we need most in our vast domains is population, but few will deny that the home product is always the best adapted to a country."

"Working together on the translation of my books forged a bond between us that is stronger than the bond I have with any other human being, because it is made up of the intimacy that only translation can confer on a writer and her translator, and because it implies a shared creative effort."

"Most non-Jews, I have come to realize-and not just my young Albertan students-know little about the history of the Jews. Nor are they necessarily aware of anti-Semitism's roots in Christianity. From Sholem Aleichem to Peretz and beyond, canonical Yiddish literature does not mince words when it comes to identifying the tormentors of Jews as Christians."

"How does one teach Yiddish literature without teaching something about the history of the countries in which it was created-mainly Poland, Ukraine, Russia-and the history of the Jews in those countries? How does one teach Jewish literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries without teaching about anti-Semitism, which was pervasive throughout this region at this time and sanctioned by the government? How many references to the persecution of the Jews in Eastern Europe are too many references? There is no way to avoid the topic of suffering. But how much gloom is too much gloom? How many pogrom stories should one teach? How many novels about the Holocaust?"

"Studying what is specific to one culture is often the first step toward understanding many cultures. And that, finally, is the best reason, I think, for studying literature altogether."

"In the end it does not matter whether students are Jewish or not Jewish. What matters is that they be sympathetic to another point of view, that they be open to a reality radically different from their own. And it is the function of literature-and of teaching-to bridge the gap between realities."

"We are quite warranted in imaging Tiruvalluvar, the thoughtful poet, the eclectic . . . pacing along the seashore with the Christian teachers, and imbibing Christian ideas, tinged with the peculiarities of the Alexandrian school, and day by day working them into his own wonderful Kurral . . . the one Oriental book much of whose teaching is an echo of 'the Sermon on the Mount'."

"Christian influences were at the time at work in the neighbourhood, and that many passages are strikingly Christian in their spirit. I cannot feel any hesitation in saying that the Christian Scriptures were among the sources from which the poet derived his inspiration."

"For example, Christian historian Stephen Neill rejects Pope’s fraudulent claim with a tone of empathy: ‘The brilliant imagination of Dr Pope has produced a beautiful romance. The sober verdict of historical judgment must be that any such Christian influence on Tamil literature is unlikely. . . Any extensive infiltration of Hindu thought by Christian influences must be ruled out as no more than remote possibility. Here, as elsewhere, what we seem to see is devout minds in different places working on similar problems and arriving independently at comparable results.’"

"In the broadest sense, the west's borrowings from the Middle East form practically the whole basic fabric of civilisation. Without such fundamental borrowings from the Middle East, we should lack the following sorts of things among others (unless, of course, we had been quick and inventive enough to devise them all for ourselves): agriculture,‘ the domestication of animals, for food, clothing and transportation; spinning and weaving,‘ building; drainage and irrigation; road- making and the wheel; metal—working, and standard tools and weapons of all kinds; sailing ships; astronomical observation and the calendar; writing and the keeping of records; laws and civic life; coinage; abstract thought and mathematics; most of our religious ideas and symbols. there is virtually no evidence for any of these basic things and processes and ideas being actually invented in the West."

"Karl Marx wrote something like that in thick books that the Ch[h]ettris have not read because reading is not what the Ch[h]ettris do. Ch[h]ettris do statecraft."

"The last time there were so many Thapas in government, the Panchayat regime collapsed under their weight."

"He did not succeed in 1814-16 war with the British, but the Thapas love him nonetheless because he tried so hard to control those pesky imperialists, overseeing military battles and negotiating treaties himself while trying to beat down Hodgson."

"The church is the bride of Christ. The kingdom will be the eternal celebration of the wedding of Christ and the church. We will enjoy rapturous celebration as the bride of Christ in the eternal kingdom."

"The ultimate reflection of the Creator’s glory will be the redemption and glorification of our bodies, when at the rapture, our bodies are transformed into the image of Christ. (1 Thess. 4:116-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-56)."

"In heaven, “we will have a real body with a real voice—and we will recognize each other’s voice.”"

"Before the resurrection, we will have an intermediate body. Our final body will be like Christ’s."

"Will we recognize our loved ones? Yes! Scripture is abundantly clear on the issue. Jesus showed himself to numerous people following His resurrection."

"On the new earth—heaven—we will have perfect bodies, resistant to any ailment. Our new bodies will continue on forever, without missing a beat."

"“When we see one another in heaven, we will have beautiful bodies that will far surpass the beauty of our bodies on this earth."

"Many of the passages that describe the millennial kingdom also, in continuity, describe the new heaven and the new earth—the eternal state."

"God created man for fellowship… The fall of man ruined that and Paradise—that is, the garden of Eden—was lost, but on the new earth paradise will be regained and God will again fellowship with mankind in a unique sense."

"During the tribulation there will be a national turning of Israel to the Lord; they will walk in righteousness. … God established an everlasting covenant with Israel and it will be of everlasting duration."

"While we look forward to a new heaven, let’s first consider the new earth, for the new earth will indeed be like heaven on earth. We will live on a restored earth."

"We can look forward expectantly to a beautified, restored earth where there is complete peace, tranquility and safety. No crime. No storms. Only peace. What a hope!"

"As a believer is changed, receiving a glorified body, so similarly, the earth is changed into a new earth, unstained by sin."

"A magnificent restoration awaits us. … Christ comes in judgment; then restoration."

"The day is coming when God will get the attention of all humanity—worldwide. God will shake the earth."

"Christ will both judge and cleanse the entire earth at His return. He will not rule in a blemished, sin-stained earth. He will rule in righteousness on a renovated earth."

"During Christ’s millennial reign nothing contrary to righteousness will exist. You will find no liquor shops, night clubs, gambling casinos …ad infinitum on the streets of the kingdom. Logic, and more importantly, Scripture indicates that all immorality will be removed at the inauguration of Christ’s earthly kingdom."

"On this new earth, cleansed and renovated—this eternal new earth—we will fulfill our eternal purpose for God. It is heaven on earth—always better."

"God, through Jesus Christ, is the victory, and the renewed earth will reflect that glory."

"On this present, fallen earth there is sorrow, suffering, sickness and death. On the new earth there will be life—everlasting life, unending health, joy, and gladness forever and ever."

"The new earth will be like Eden. ..the deserts will gush with water. … A beautiful and bountiful land will flourish."

"The new earth will complete God’s program. It will be what God intended for Adam and Eve in Eden."

"On this sinful, fallen earth, life will remain difficult, fraught with suffering and sadness. But we are looking forward to heaven—and heaven is always better in every realm than the earth."

"Prosperity and security are ours in heaven. We will live in peace and safety.”"

"The admission to heaven is faith in Jesus Christ. He is the only way. There is no other philosophy, no religion, no other way."

"In heaven we will enjoy a continuity of love in a profound way."

"Our abilities and giftedness does not end of this earth; we will continue to serve the Lord in agreement with our abilities on this earth."

"Believers have a genuine, unfailing hope of a future reunion with loved ones…we can find joy in anticipating our future reunion."

"One of the many joys of the millennial kingdom and the eternal state will be the endless discussion, genuine fellowship with one another."

"As we grow in our understanding of knowledge of Him in heaven, our worship will surely increase in magnitude."

"It is only as we focus our thoughts on heaven that we will correctly interpret life on earth."

"In heaven..we will not longer cry, feel sad, or face death. …Our bodies will be perfect, locked into eternal youth…ageless."

"Yes, we will know one another! Yes we will have a glorious reunion! The Scriptures are not unclear on this vital issue."