Having read it, you'll know what a challenge this book is. It's very difficult to pin down the style of the book. Sometimes it reads like a Russian classic (Tolstoy or Gogol) at others it's like an epic poem with stream of consciousness descriptions. I knew straightaway that to make the book work in audio form a lot of work was needed. I had to unravel some of the dense sections so that I knew exactly what was going on at any given point. (Sounds obvious but in fact you'll know having read it that that's easier said than done). I knew the danger was to make it too "heavy" and so I searched for areas in the book (are there are a number) where I could lighten it up.
Varying the pace seemed to me important. And of course there were the pages and pages of Czech and Russian pronunciations. There's a short chapter called The Legion which is basically a list of all the Czech soldiers (who were fighting in the campaign the book describes) and what became of them. So I knew that I had to be secure on all the names as they don't crop up individually but in lists , one following the other. It was clear (especially as the book needed to be recorded sooner rather than later) that I would need help with the pronunciations. A Czech speaker came into the studio and a CD was made of the pages of Czech names and on what page those names appeared. (She also knew Russian so I was able to get the Russian pronunciations too). Patch (producer) was invaluable here as he went through the book marking the words that we needed her to pronounce. I listened to the CD and wrote down phonetically the correct pronunciations but by the time I'd written down one word (there were pages of them) she was about five words further on. So it was a slow, methodical process. When I'd written them all down, I practised them again and again so that they tripped off the tongue. I was dreaming the bloody names. But if paid off because when I got to that section I rattled the names off and Dominic was particularly impressed by the confidence of the pronunciations which pleased me a lot.
In a way it helped that Patch didn't "get" the story at first. When I came to record it he said that I made it make sense for him and he started to enjoy it very much. But if there was a moment where he said "I don't understand what's happening here" then I'd explain it to him and if necessary re-record it to make it more clear.
But it was a labour of love. I recognised that for the book to "come off the page" I needed to accept the challenge of the book which meant that I "lived" with it for the weeks I was preparing it (even though I was busy doing other things).
When I finished the recording, I felt as though I'd been through a war myself!! Battered. bruised but in the end satisfied that I'd given it my best shot. I think it's one of the best things I've recorded.
Response from Brian Sweany (Director of Acquisitions) for Recorded Books;
I've never read a better hands-on depiction of what goes into a Recorded Books production. Read it and then read it again........
"pages of Czech names"
"I practiced them again and again so that they tripped off the tongue"
"I was dreaming the bloody names"
"I lived with it for weeks"
"battered and bruised".
Do Gordon's words read like someone just punching a clock and doing his time? Does this read like an audio publisher who treats audiobooks as a commodity, slapping some ill-eqipped Hollywood star's name on a half-hearted abridgement, hoping you don't notice the actor's tonally challened, nasally voice? NO WAY! This is the Recorded Books' advantage. Listen to it, believe it, and preach it. Happy Selling!
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