Heated over Climate Change

I have started the new decade by taking on the task of recording as an audiobook a new, and rather obscure and heavy academic volume about anthropology and climate change, and once again I have found myself fuming heatedly over the whole business of names (see my blog post on Romans further down). This time it is not only the challenge of finding the correct pronunciations of out-of-the-way villages in the Andes or Tanzania, but the simple realization that very few academics seem to have straightforward, ordinary names. I am sure each of them individually has no problem whatsoever with her or his name, but my renderings of them have often meant resorting to great creativity and even close editing individual syllables to get the name...correct?

Well, who knows? So apologies in advance to messrs. Rwamugira, Majugu, Ouattara and Xurong to mention but a few –I am sure your academic work is sterling, no matter how garbled I may have pronounced your names.

This Week’s Flashback -Player in "Hamlet" 1992/1993

"The players are come hither my lord..." and what a collection of ancient-looking ghostly figures we were. Almost like anaemic zombies in Renaissance garb, including the pictured ruff, which I remember itched constantly, as did the straggling (or struggling) moustache. In some of the scenes in which I appeared it was important to remain absolutely still, but the urge to scratch or sneeze made this a task of Hercules. I had a cold at one stage, and a runny nose, which was an absolute nightmare to try and contain –the moustache (and probably the audience) suffered as a consequence. Also all our costumes were covered with powder, adding to the impression of a dusty troupe of traveling players, and every move or gesture was accompanied by a little cloud. Despite all this it was a very successful production, running for over 100 performances, with a revival the following year, and it taught me a great deal about Shakespeare... and moustaches!