regarding the dice man

[jochen stremmel]

on occasion of Kai's mail:


> On 11/9/2010 3:25 PM, jochen stremmel wrote:
>>
>> Dear Luke Rhinehart,
>>
>> somewhere in the eighties, I've written you a letter (...)
>> via your American publisher, I think, regarding my radio
>> review of the DICE MAN, more to the point: the German translation that
>> has not so much in common with the original as it should have (whole
>> chapters missing etc.).
>>
>> Has that letter ever reached you?
>>
>> Best regards
>>
>> Jochen Stremmel
>>

2010/11/9 lukec <lukec at taconic.net>:
> No, it didn't, Jochen. Do you still have a copy?
>
> And what chapters are missing in the new German edition.
>
> Thanks for writing,
>
> George (aka Luke)
>


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: jochen stremmel <jstremmel at gmail.com>
Date: 2010/11/10
Subject: Re: dice man
To: lukec <lukec at taconic.net>


Dear George,

just came back from the basement where I indeed found a (quite hard)
copy of my letter to you. It is from April 6, 1986. The new German
edition I talk about in that letter is from February '86, but I think
it has not been changed since then. I quote from my letter (please
excuse the English):

"... when I read the translation I found, that sentences, paragraphs
and even whole chapters had been omitted. Immediately, I phoned the
Moewig Verlag and criticized them of deceiving the German reader who
is not informed to buy an abridged version. They did not have an
explanation at hand.

They called back the next day and claimed that they had taken over the
translation of the first German edition published by the Molden Verlag
in 1972 without changing a single word. They suggested that Molden had
probably got the permission to cut down the text when they bought the
license for the German market. At that time I did not know the Molden
translation, so I could not object.

Meanwhile I have obtained this first German translation of your book:
In fact there are missing six chapters entirely (19, 26, 77, 79, 82,
88), parts of others (e.g. a passage of chapter 81 from »It is much
more pleasant in bed ...« to »... my limitations« and two of the five
mottoes. But Moewig have maimed the original text to a far greater
extent: In their edition all the mottoes, the preface, and three more
chapters have been dropped..."

Obviously I have sent that letter to the publisher of my paperback
edition: Panther Books in 8, Grafton Street, London, and when I didn't
hear neither from them nor from you, I sent it to Sanford J.
Greenburger Ass., 55 Fifth Ave, 15th Floor, as well.

Four days ago an old friend whom I didn't see or hear from for at
least 12 years found a copy of the review I wrote in 1986 for a radio
station in Cologne and gave it to me, I looked you up in the www,
found your email and voilà.

My best wishes,

Jochen