Tuesday, May 30, 2023

A unique, minimalist space-drama written in poetic-verse using the Orkney dialect.

Harry Josephine Giles' DEEP WHEEL ORCADIA has a simple plot - it's a love story with familiar complications taking place on a space station that's purpose is to gather resources from the gas giant planet that it orbits.  The groundbreaking originality and beauty of this work are derived from the subtle nuances of the Orcadian language, as well as Giles' gift for poetry and showcasing a minority language.

The mechanics of this 'novel' are brilliant, utilizing page-foot prose translation into English, giving clarity to the Orkney poetic-verse above.  The former includes a combinatory translation method that highlights the limitations of any language when translated into another, and also slows the reader down, encouraging us to place more emphasis on the star of the show - the Orcadian.  The two language tracks work in tandem, guiding the reader on their journey, as two steel tracks do a train on its; allowing us to both comprehend the story in our native tongue, and to appreciate the beauty of the Orkney verse.

Weird.  Evocative.  Beautiful.