A new Harry Potter book's out...if you're in China..sorta

[Fenris]

Some sleezebag has come out with a bootleg Potter book
(see here (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-346051,00.html) )

(Although I gotta admit there's a certain MST3k-badness to Harry Potter and Leopard Walk up to Dragon:

Harry doesn’t know how long it will take to wash the sticky cream cake off his face,” the book begins. “For a civilised young man it is disgusting to have dirt on any part of his body. He lies in the high-quality china bathtub, keeps wiping his face, and thinks about Dali’s face, which is as fat as the bottom of Aunt Penny.

I'm against stealing from authors in general of course, but what makes this case all the more frustrating is this will be a distraction for Ms. Rowling and I want the REAL NEXT BOOK GODDAMNIT!!!

Fuck you book-counterfitter! Fuck you twice! The only consolation I have is that if this gets to be an international incident, you'llbe subject to the "joys" of Chinese "justice".

Fenris

[Freudian Slit]

I know it's wrong that they did that and all, and I'd be upset if someone did that to an author I adored, but I agree with you on the MS3K badness- it's hilariously horrendous. :)

[Osbie]

Hmmm, I don't know... this version seems to actually feature some character development for young master Potter. For one thing, we now know that he has a fixation with Aunt Penny's bottom.

[Tars Tarkas]

I gotta get me one of those!!

[Buliwyf]

Ah Fenris,
I see you too have read the evil that is the Harry Potter series. I was away from home for 2 months on a military course and while I was away I decided to buy and read the whole story. I absolutely HATE!!! where she left the last book. Any clues when we can expect to find out what happens next? And also, I gotta ask ya, what do you think of the whole Ron and Hermione thing? Personally I like it. Harry would have been too obvious, and Ron definitely needs the love. Oh, and while I'm running off at the mouth, (so to speak,) was I the only one mispronouncing Hermione's name until the last book explained how the heck to say it? I mean REALLY!! Her-Me-O-n, (long O sound) tell me I'm not the only idiot who never heard this name before.


Buliwyf

[Baker]

It's her-My-nee, isn't it? That's the way I've heard it in real life and in the movie.

[DeadlyAccurate]

I was pronouncing it the same way, Buliwyf.

[catsix]

Yeah, in the movie they said Her-MY-uh-knee.

So which is it?

[China Guy]

I've gotta look for this one. Article doesn't say whether it is in Chinese or English, but it should be Chinese if it's being sold here. Anyhoo, if I find a copy, I will let the teeming millions know.

[mobo85]

Quick answers.

It's in Chinese.

Both the film and book 4 use "Her-my-uh-nee."

[Bosstone]

OP-related:
They're trying to pass this off as written by JK Rowling? I suppose when translated to Chinese, it's not so different from her writing, but damn. That's like trying to pass off l33t as...as...I don't want to say Shakespeare, but it'll work.

As for Hermione: Jim Dale, who does the reading for the audiobooks, pronounces it 'Her-MAH-nee' and I trust his version. The 'Her-my-uh-nee' thing in book 4 is Crum's accent butchering the poor girl's name, hence the emphasis on laying out the pronounciation in book 4.

[pesch]

So how do they pronounce it in Book 5? Or did they change the name to Dali, with the fanny-fat face.

[kaylasdad99]

I presume that "Dali" is a clumsy transliteration of "Dudley."

As all American watchers of the Late Show should know, it's pronounced HER-MY-ON-KNEE, as in "We now return to The Butlers Dilemma, starring Francis L Sullivan and Hermione Gingold." Jim Dale's accent is responsible for the elided syllable.

[InkBlot]

I can vouch for kaylasdad99. The author, in a televised interview, confirmed the her-my-oh-knee pronunciation. I don't remember the name of the show, but it was a special on J.K.Rowling produced in time for the movie's release. It was an hour long biography detailing the history of her life related to writing Harry Potter, and featured the old apartment she lived in Glasgow, the cafe(s) she'd write at, the train stations she had in mind for where platform 9 3/4 was...yes, that's plural on purpose. Apparently the station she drew on her memory for description and the one she named in the novel are not the same. It was an interesting documentary, which shows how well developed her writing is. She has notebooks with full information on all sorts of secondary and tertiary characters, complete class lists and schedules, and even notes on what other characters are doing in conjunction with the main action of the story. It's very comprehensive, they even showed bits of it on screen. She even showed a folder outlined in red tape with all sorts of warnings on it which she said was the final chapter of the series. She knows exactly where everything is going, so it's only a matter of getting there.


inkblot, looking forward to the rest of the journey.

[Buliwyf]

posted by BayleDomon

The 'Her-my-uh-nee' thing in book 4 is Crum's accent butchering the poor girl's name, hence the emphasis on laying out the pronounciation in book 4.

Actually if you read a little more carefully, you'll see that Her-my-uh-nee is how Hermione herself TELLS crum to pronounce it. And Also guys, I was saying that Her-Me-one is how I was pronouncing it incorrectly.

Buliwyf

[istara]

It's Her-my-o-nee - it's a greek name.

Except that I believe in classical French (Racine) it's Errm-ee-on with a big rolling French rrrrrrrrrr sound. At least that's how our French teacher pronounced it when we were doing Andromaque.