ALITJI IN DREAMLAND - ALITJINYA NUGURA TJUKURMANKUNTJALA

by Donna Leslie

In this retelling of the Alice in Wonderland story set in aboriginal Australia, the white rabbit becomes a white kangaroo and the red queen is a witch spirit.

Genres: Australia

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Good gracious," said Alice, "I think I have fallen entirely through the Earth and ended up in the Antipodes! I suppose that must be why I'm dark brown and completely naked." She looked down on herself, and, indeed, she was not wearing a stitch of clothing. "At home," she continued, "I am sure they would have thought it most improper; but here it seems to be the thing to do. All the same, I wish I didn't have to say everything in Pitjantjatjara! Why, it's all I can do to pronounce the name of the language, let alone speak it."

"You needn't worry," said the Witchetty Grub shortly, "No doubt someone will backtranslate you into English by and by. They'll lose all the subtle wordplay but that will serve them right. And maybe the editor will add a few footnotes to tell people what they're missing."

Alice had not the least idea what backtranslation was, and for a moment she wondered if she should be alarmed; but so many strange things had already happened that day that one more would hardly make a difference.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and creative rewrite of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, set in the Australian wilds and full of its old culture and nature!