REVIEW
2
STAVBA DETAIL 3/2023
nal as close as possible. I think that if Czech
version had been published directly by Czech
arm of OUP, it might be produced differently.
In my opinion, the word rise means growth
and progress, yet triumph is a final victory
without reference to the process of the
rise. Nowhere is the original meaning of the
word survival stated or implied. I wonder if
there is some inevitable reason why a less
impressive choice was chosen of phrases
for the title of the book. Making become buil-
ding. Rise and survival have been replaced
by triumh. If you think twice about the diffe-
rent meaning of the current choice of words, it is
more than clear that a considerable amount of
content is lost in Czech version. Neither the ori-
ginal graphic style wasn't respected much.
Neither the cover or inside the book (original
size: 156 × 234 × 29 mm; translation size:
162
× 232 × 33 mm). Furthermore, the Czech
version does not make strict use of the ori-
ginal graceful symmetry in the layout. To
illustrate the details of the book layout, I am
am opening both books simultaneously for
comparison. Original has a symmetrically ar-
ranged title, subtitle, author of the book Curl)
and the author of the preface (Timothy
Brittain-Catlin). Brand Oxford University
Press is below. Other pages of the original are
also aligned and centred, unlike the Czech
version. On the original light beige cover is
the author's colour drawing of scales whose
bowls carry two opposing worlds. In tran-
slation, light beige is replaced by deep purple
and the colour drawing by black and whi-
te photo. Visual feel of both versions is ve-
ry different at first impression. Going further
through the book, more changes occur beyond
the translation: blank page between chapters
disappear and a Preface to the Czech edi-
tion added; the reference to Hottinger was
replaced by two references to Horácek; re-
ference to Prof. Rostislav Švácha is gone,
while the mention of Prof. Šlapeta remains;
a link to Michl and Salingaros added to
the translation; preliminary praise (Albo,
Salingaros, Watkin, Wilson) disappeared;
two separate lists, one for photos and
one for images, are merged into a common
list in the translation; afterword and acknow-
ledgements by J. S. Curl are in reverse order;
footnotes that interfere with reading are us-
ed instead of the original choice of notes at the
end of the book. First initial always in the first
part of each chapter is ignored; no italics is
used; many important graphic elements in
the translation have been grouped toge-
ther, whereas in the original each of them
was centred separately. All these differen-
ces in graphic layout make a completely dif-
ferent reading pleasure. Reminds me of co-
nversations about imperial and metric units,
how subtle differences in rules and norms can
evolve into a whole range of difference in
values and, more generally, material buil-
ding environment. As a Czech reader living
abroad long term and thinking "in English,
I choose the English original for my readi-
ng. Professor Curl uses the words in original
form (also in Italian) in order to enhance the
meaning. Pg. 55/25 "technical attaché",
translated: word attaché not in italics as
in the original; „The Deutscher Werkbund“
translated as: „German Werkbund“, I'd
choose: „Deutscher Werkbund“; pg. 75/44
in original text and image in block, in tran-
slation in block and left; pg. 76/45, photo
1.6 and 1.7, i originál: in a block with a label
under each picture, in translation: to the
block and left as one, not between images.
In short, in terms of meaning, both versions
do not differ greatly and Czech version for
understanding the issue is fully sufficient.
Still, I personally would recommend anyone
who reads only the Czech version not to be-
lieve that the Czech version is fully represent
the original version. I would be more pleased if
Oxford University Press would professionally
produce a more legitimate Czech version.
JAMES STEVENS CURL,
BUILDING DYSTOPIA:
Strange triumph of architectural barbarism
Books & Pipes 2023
ISBN: 978-80-7485-269-5
NOTE
* Emil Adamec, J. S. Curl, Making dystopia,
Stavba 2019, No. 2, p. 12
EMIL ADAMEC
Building Dystopia:
A strange triumph
of architectural barbarism
The book Making Dystopia is by the highly
respected author James Stevens Curl.
I reviewed the original in Stavba magazine
in 2019.* Building Dystopia is the Czech
version of the Oxford original. It is not
exactly the same thing (text and graphic
clone). In recent interviews with the author
of the book, Professor Curl is delighted with a
Czech edition of the book, finds it nicely
done, is grateful to his Czech colleagues and
says that the images are similar. He is not flu-
ent in Czech and can't check the nuances of
the phrasing to see if the original means is ex-
actly caught in translation. Subtle sarcasm
or twists of ends may appear in the translati-
on can be lost. He spoke with the translator,
tried to clear up what was said and hopes it
was taken right. He knows about the trouble in
doing a translation, and that clearly the transla-
tor had trouble, he adds. As he is not fluent in
Czech, he is not sure of the accuracy of the
translation nor can he comment on its quality.
With this in mind, I open the Czech versi-
on, and I think that what has now come into my
hands doesn't match the original. I stick to the
rule that a translation should match the origi-