AN EPIC fantasy novel, which has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, has been translated into Scottish Gaelic for the first time.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic book The Hobbit, the prequel for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was written for his own children and has been translated into at least 69 other languages.
Published by Dundee-based Evertype, A' Hobat, no A-null 's Air Ais A-rithist: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again in Scottish Gaelic, is the first translation into Scottish Gaelic of the book.
Evertype’s director, Michael Everson, has already published the Irish Gaelic version of the book 13 years ago and worked on the translations of Tolkien’s work into Hawaiian, Yiddish and Cornish.
“I like The Hobbit very much,” he told The Scotsman.
“It’s one of my favourites.”
Tolkien reportedly said he preferred the Welsh language to Gaelic, and claimed he had a “certain distaste” for “Celtic things”.
However, Everson believes the author would be pleased with his new edition of his book.
With the help of a grant from the Gaelic Books Council, the project took five years to complete and even features the original 1937 cover art.
The Hobbit was translated by Professor Moray Watson, who also translated the Scottish Gaelic edition of Alice in Wonderland and is a professor in translation studies at the University of Aberdeen.
A spokesperson for the Gaelic Books Council said they are sure Gaelic readers will be eager to explore Tolkien’s world.
They said: “The Gaelic Books Council’s grants support a range of publications by independent publishers, both original Gaelic texts and works in translation, and The Hobbit is a welcome addition to the range of classic titles now available in Gaelic.”
“We congratulate Evertype and Moray Watson, and we are sure that Gaelic readers will be eager to explore Tolkien’s world in their own language.”
