El Senor De Los Anillos : LA Comunidad Del Anillo / Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring: LA Comunidad Del Anillo (Lord of the Rings)

Customer Reviews:

Dissagreement on Title.......2006-02-07

I am not happy about the translation made for the first book title "The fellowship of the ring. The person or group that translated to Spanish translated it as "La Comunidad del Anillo" in which "communidad" is trying to translate "Fellowship". The word that would have serve it better in Spanish was "Hermandad" which translated is Brotherhood. I believe brotherhood serve it better to the interpretation than "community", Translation without interpretation takes away a lot from the classic.

Fun to practice Spanish with but too many mistakes.......2005-10-13

(Very minor spoilers follow.)

First, I very much hope this is the right edition of the book. The translator is Luis Domenech, first published in Oct 91, and this is the 7th printing in May 2002. The cover shows the nine Walkers from the movie silhouetted.

I am a huge Tolkien fan, and so I'm reading this book to practice my Spanish. Since I've read the originals probably seven or eight times, I am very familiar with the books. So it's really helping my language skills and building my vocabulary, since I can figure out things from context and from memory without having to go back to a dictionary all the time.

That said, there are some really big translation mistakes that I've found so far. I've only read the prologue, but three major mistakes are:

1) Pg 12, it describes the three types of hobbits: the Pelosos (Harfoots), the Fuertes (Stoors), and the Albos (Fallohides). In the original, Tolkien associates the Pelosos with dwarves, Fuertes with humans, and Albos with elves. But the translator relates the Albos to dwarves! (Los Albos, los menos numerosos, eran una rama nordica, mas amiga de los Enanos que el resto de los Hobbits...) This isn't really a huge deal, but Tolkien describes the Tooks and Brandybucks as Fallohidish, which in the original makes them somewhat elvish, which is always symbolic. Relating them to dwarves is confusing.

2) An entire couple sentences are dropped, pg 14. The translation reads "Desde, entonces, por unos mil anos, vivieron en una paz ininterrumpida. La tierra era rica y generosa, y aunque habia estado desierta durante mucho tiempo..." But the original reads (omission marked) "There for a thousand years they were little troubled by wars, >>> and they prospered and multiplied after the Dark Plague (SR 37) until the disaster of the Long Winter and the famine that followed it. Many thousand then perished, but the Days of Dearth (1158-60) were at the time of this tale long past and the Hobbits had again become accustomed to plenty. < < < The land was rich and kindly, and though it had long been deserted..." Again, not really a huge deal, but why on earth would the translator omit this? The book is ~550 pages long, I see no need to abridge it here.

3) Probably the worst mistake is at the end of the prologue, pg 29. The translator refers to both Elrond and Galadriel as dead. "Los hijos de Elrond, aunque el ya habia muerto..." and "Se dice que Celeborn fue a vivir alli luego de la muerte de Galadriel..." In the original, both Elrond and Galadriel are said to have "departed", not "died" because, we find out later (spoiler!) that they go over the sea. Did the translator not read the entire trilogy first before starting to work? Now the reader will be waiting for three books for Elrond and Galadriel to die, and be confused when they pass over sea. At least I assume they still do in the Spanish version.

I may have missed other mistakes too since my Spanish is not excellent. Overall though the book is true to the story and fun to read. But after finding three semi-major mistakes in the first thirty pages, I can't give this work higher than 3 stars.

Una genialidad de Tolkien.......2005-09-11

Este libro es definitivamente un libro para toda persona que quiera tener una biblioteca completa. Esta es la obra maestra de J.R.R. Tolkien. La genialidad de poder llevarlo a uno a los lugares que estan siendo descritos, y la habilidad de poder incluirlo a uno en la historia es fascinante.

Espero que lo disfruten

Great book; Spanish translation a little clunky at times.......2004-05-18

Let me just start by declaring my belief that JRR Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" is one of the greatest works of fiction -- not just fantasy, but ALL fiction -- ever. And I've read a lot of fiction in my life! Still, the main question here is whether or not the Spanish language translation does the original English book justice. Unfortunately, I'd have to say that from that perspective, "El Senor de los Anillos" has some serious problems.

The main problem is probably inherent to ANY translation of Tolkien from English into another language. Professor Tolkien, as a great student of language, chose his words, accents, and dialects extremely carefully. Unfortunately, many of these choices, such as Sam's working class speech patterns ("coneys," "Gaffer," and all his many idiosyncratic sayings and references), or the Orcs rough (Cockney?) accents, just don't really come across in Spanish. I have found the same thing in other translations, such as when I read "Tom Sawyer" in French back in High School. Same deal.

In addition, however, I also caught numerous instances of outright errors in "El Senor de los Anillos," which in the case of Tolkien and his care for such things, are truly egregious. For instance, on numerous occasions the translator said "East" when he meant "West" or vice versa. Not good, especially when these directions are fraught with meaning in Tolkien's conception of Middle Earth. Less egregiously, I found some of the literal translations -- "Bolson" for "Baggins" or "Comarca" for "Shire" simply to be annoying. Why translate proper names? Must be a translator thing; I just don't understand!

Finally, a problem both with translation into other languages as well as into film is the loss of much of Tolkien's poetry. In the case of the blockbuster movie trilogy, poetry was kept to a minimum in favor of a predictable (heavy) emphasis on action, action, and more ACTION! In the Spanish translation, the problem is that the rhyming schemes which Tolkien uses, which are critical (in my humble opinion) to a true appreciation and enjoyment of the poems, are basically demolished. Maybe it wouldn't matter so much with other authors, but again, in the case of Tolkien, where each word choice is given tremendous thought and care, alteration of rhyming patterns can only lessen the impact of what Tolkien is getting at and the sheer beauty of his poetry.

Having said all this, despite the frustrations mentioned above, I enjoyed reading Lord of the Rings in Spanish, which I mainly undertook as part of my studies of the language. Reading a familiar book in another language is not a bad way to improve your vocabulary and general command of that language. Still, I would love to see a translation of "Lord of the Rings" that comes without the sloppy errors and that rings truer in spirit to the original.

No Sean Engañados!.......2002-11-22

La edicion de este libro no es Hardcover como lo ofrecen, es Paperback (estoy muy decepcionado).
A pesar de eso el libro es magnifico, lo mejor de fantasia epica que he leido. Esta es la primera de tres partes del Señor de los Anillos, en la que Tolkien nos narra la formacion de la comunidad del anillo (elfos, humanos, enanos y hobbits), quienes intentaran llevarlo a Mordor para destruirlo.

Book Description

This volume shows the reader the means by which a "man of power" sees, as opposed to merely looking, and how by his concentrated "seeing" he can, indeed must, "stop the world." In it, Carlos Castaneda describes the lessons, the omens, the exercises of the will and body, the arduous trials and tests, the simple yet mysterious demonstrations, the extraordinary visions and experiences by which don Juan, his mentor and friend, prepares him for the task of perceiving things as they are, instead of describing them by the words, conventions and standards of conventional, a priori ideas and language. Here, in the high mountains and in the bright arid desert, Castaneda reaches for power in a series of startling encounters with the unknown--a confrontation with death and the past in the form of an albino falcon, with the twilight wind, with a flesh-and-blood mountain lion, with a mountain fog--and learns the techniques, the concentration, the compassion of the hunter, the man who is "without routines, free, fluid."

Customer Reviews:

Hmmm...........2007-07-01

Probably the most significant book I have ever read. That doesn't say a lot but hey I never like the bible. For some its almost petty to the number of polished novels and books already on the market and waiting for you pocket book. I must say though, this is quite the exquisite example of whats possible in our world or reality to get metaphyiscal. Many of the writes or teachings of castaneda are just that but this book to some is a starting point from which to begin the journey. The not-doings and small samples are just a small example for what in it. I highly recommend this book for anybody. Maybe you'll get hooked maybe not. Either way, some may care to read it.

To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22

Carlos Castaneda was one of the most controversial writers of the twentieth century. Some in academia branded him a fraud for claiming his stories were biographical rather than fiction, while lauding him as a great novelist for exposing a mass audience to otherwise inaccessible philosophical abstractions they claimed were largely plagiarized. Each of his works is a piece of a larger puzzle, which makes it impossible to critique any one book without addressing the larger context into which it fits.

His first two books, "Teachings of Don Juan" and "A Separate Reality" describe experiences induced by ingesting psychotropic hallucinogenics prepared by a Yaqui Indian shaman from Sonora, Mexico he called don Juan Matus, and accounted for his becoming a guru to a generation seeking short cuts to spiritual enlightenment, as well as his lifelong interest in the relationship between perception and reality, a theme now explored in many popular books on consciousness and quantum physics. Unfortunately, these books remain his best selling works, in spite of Castaneda refuting their importance in his later works. Readers would be best served to skip these and avoid the risk of being turned off to Castaneda and missing the more stimulating works that followed.

His third and fourth works were "Journey to Ixtlan" and "Tales of Power." In Ixtlan he admits to over-estimating the value of his drug experiences, which caused him to overlook the more profound teachings of don Juan which became the focus of future writings. What emerges is a spiritual discipline dating back to the Pre-Colombian Toltec sorcerers of Latin America, culminating with don Juan's departure from our world, effectively ending Castaneda's direct affiliation.

In his fifth and sixth works "Second Ring of Power" and "Eagles Gift" Castaneda suffers strange flashbacks of what seem to be memory fragments of events he is unable to fit into any logical time sequence. In his seventh and eighth works, "Fire From Within" and "Power of Silence," Castaneda succeeds in reconstructing his lost memories, which derive from teachings previously administered by don Juan while Castaneda was in a "heightened" state of awareness.

In books nine and ten, "Art of Dreaming" and "Active Side of Infinity," Castaneda focuses on what he describes as inorganic predators from another dimension, some having the power to imprison humanity in "ordinary reality" so they can feed on the dark emotional energies we produce when succumbing to the negative thoughts they insert into our minds.

In later years several seemingly substantiating works appeared by two of Castaneda's female apprentices, Taisha Abelar and Florinda Donner-Grau. In addition, two scathing exposés were also published by two of his ex-wives. The first, "Magical Journey with Carlos Castaneda" by first wife, Margaret Runyon, offers little corroboration, since her marriage pre-dates the time when the bulk of Castaneda's adventures were claimed to have occurred. While steadfast that Castaneda was a sorcerer, she doubts the existence of don Juan, even claiming authorship of many of the concepts Castaneda ascribed to him.

The second, and more credible work, is "Sorcerer's Apprentice," by well-known writer Amy Wallace, daughter of the late best selling novelist Irving Wallace. Here again, we find little corroboration since the time of the events she describes is well after the period when Castaneda's relationship with don Juan is alleged to occur. What the book does provide is a troubling look inside Castaneda's final years, a picture of descent into what seems sexual addiction and possibly madness, leaving one to wonder if Castaneda was just one cup of cool-aid short of a Jonestown.

Many have asked why I put any stock whatsoever in Castaneda. A story from my autobiography, "The Vortex" may shed some light. A year before Castaneda published his first book I had an experience that would remain a mystery until Castaneda published "Power of Silence" twenty years later.

For a brief time, in my youth, I became a practicing Muslim, meticulously performing the complex prayer ritual five times a day. Then one night, sitting in my car, frustrated and complaining at not being able to find the address of my next sales appointment, something inside me snapped. It was as if some part of me had disconnected from my body and assumed control, lecturing me about my lack of discipline. A profound calm settled over me, rendering me simultaneously detached and engaged. For two days my sales figures soared. It was as if no one could say no to me. On the evening of the second day I decided to put my new state of being to the acid test by visiting my parents. Their behavior was so uncharacteristically supportive I hardly recognized them. It was enough to convince me that I was now living in an altered reality. But by the following morning I had returned to "normal." So distracting had this event been that I completely forgot to perform my Muslim prayers, and in fact, never did so again.

Twenty years later, in a chapter of "Power of Silence" entitled "Place of No Pity" Castaneda describes a very similar experience. In the aftermath of the event don Juan explains that humans are like televisions stuck on a channel called "self-preoccupation," lacking the energy to tune into any of the vast array of other channels available to us. To change channels, he explains, we first need to accumulate energy, by practicing rituals that are deliberate, precise and repetitious. Do this long enough and eventually our stored energy precipitates a shift to a channel where self-importance and self pity become impossible. Once this happens we connect with the force that controls the entire universe, a force don Juan called "intent," and everything can be bent to our will and even more channels can be opened, assuming we remember to keep practicing the rituals that save our energy.

This one realization alone was enough to inspire me to dedicate my autobiography "To Carlos, with gratitude."

Maxwell Austin van Lack, Author of The Vortex: A True Story of Passion and Karma

Best guide for introducing Toltec wisdom. .......2007-05-30

Over the years, I've read all of Castaneda's books multiple times trying to extract the wisdom embedded within. Along the way, I have also supplemented my reading in other Toltec Lineages: Mares, Eagle Feather, and Ruiz, to name a few. Different lineages branch out in different directions covering diverse ground and the inevitable snipping across boarders of those who negatively critique Castaneda. While all the various traditions offer some insight, I find Castaneda to be the most compelling.

Like the previous commentator, this book contains a distillation of all of Castaneda's books with regards the concepts and exercises for transforming one's life from a common man into that of a warrior. I differ with the reviewer below in that allegory (in my view) is not a major component of Castaneda's book - at least this one! I say that based on my experience and mentorship with Tom Brown ("the Tracker") and living with other indigenous peoples all over the world.

The stories conveyed by Castaneda conducted in the wilderness, on hunting, tracking power, and so forth, ring true with the other teachings I've been exposed to by those indigenous peoples still living in their original ways. The insights and practices on the spirit-that-moves-through-all-things is a common element of all native teachings cross culturally. (And if one doubts that, I invite you to enter an original culture to corroborate the experience yourself!)

My advice is to read this book through a couple of times, and then again a third time, in an attempt to discern the propositions offered. The key is to live out the propositions. Make them your own. The deeper you can engage these concepts into praxis, the deeper the transformation will manifest in your life. Herein the rub: no small task by any means.

I recognize some people will need teachers to engage this system. And for those you have who do need that, an abundance of "teachers" in the Ruiz lineage hang their shingle out, and offer their services for huge fees. If you need that, that is certainly one option. But, you can also do it on your own. Victor Sanchez is another author who has used these propositions on his own and offers a good summary in his many books.

If you do not need someone holding your hand for you, then these insights can be learned directly from the books with a little dirt time. I would also recommend supplementing these books with Tom Browns books and if able to attend his workshops.

Journey as Allegory.......2007-02-17

Journey to Ixtlan, almost summarily, contains most of the wisdom and core ideas found throughout the Castaneda books. This book is really the only one you need to read, in the sense that the best of the storytelling and lesson summaries are all here. Regardless of your opinion of Castaneda's personal life, the lucidity of this storytelling stands on its own merits.

The journey is an allegory, a metaphorical map for one's own journey through life. Cogent lessons from the first 2 Castaneda books are expanded and reiterated here: Becoming Accessible to Power; Using Death as an Advisor; Losing Self-Importance; Not-Doing (Taoist connection); Assuming Responsibility etc.

The fundamental question this book insists on is: How will reading it change you through changing your perceptions of everyday reality? This one bears re-reading several times. Highly recommended.

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Not very helpful.......2007-02-09

Don Juan attempts to teach Carlos Castaneda vague lessons by engaging him in a series of nonsensical activities. Many of the themes are common to other spiritual traditions (e.g. breaking routines, becoming inaccessible, not doing, or stopping the world--in the language of this book) and because of this, the reader may have a clue as to what Don Juan is getting at. However, Don Juan consistently spurns Castaneda when he asks for explanations, insisting on showing him instead. Unfortunately, the demonstrations seem to be pointless and nonsensical. Maybe, that's the point, but it gets tiresome to endure this over and over again throughout the book. I'm a big fan of psychedelic drugs and solipsistic thinking, and I approached this book with a great amount of focus but finished it mostly disappointed.

Boxed Set: The Teachings of Don Juan; A Separate Reality; Journey to Ixtlan

Average customer rating:

Boxed Set: The Teachings of Don Juan; A Separate Reality; Journey to Ixtlan

Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

JOURNEY TO IXTLAN the Lesson of Don Juan

Average customer rating:

JOURNEY TO IXTLAN the Lesson of Don Juan
CARLOS CASTANEDA
Manufacturer: Touchstone Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: B000H3UB5Y

JOURNEY TO IXTLAN The Lessons of Don Juan

Average customer rating:

JOURNEY TO IXTLAN The Lessons of Don Juan
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: B000H57LU0

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge

Average customer rating:

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Average customer rating:

JOURNEY TO IXTLAN

Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: B000H1YEK4

3 PBs, Carlos Castaneda: Seeing Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan, A Separate Reality

Average customer rating:

3 PBs, Carlos Castaneda: Seeing Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan, A Separate Reality
Carlos Castaneda
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

1 Med Sz PB, 2 Small PBs

Carlos Castaneda(the Teachings of Don Juan,a Separate Realty ,Journey to Ixtlan,tales of Power) (the teachings of don juan:A yaqui way of knowledge, journey to ixtlan :the lessons of don juan,tales of power,aseparate reality:further conversations with don juan)

Average customer rating:

Carlos Castaneda(the Teachings of Don Juan,a Separate Realty ,Journey to Ixtlan,tales of Power) (the teachings of don juan:A yaqui way of knowledge, journey to ixtlan :the lessons of don juan,tales of power,aseparate reality:further conversations with don juan)
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

set of 4 books in case designed by Peter Schaumann

Four (4) Books: The Teachings of Don Juan, A Separate Reality, Journey to Ixtlan, Tales of Power

Average customer rating:

Four (4) Books: The Teachings of Don Juan, A Separate Reality, Journey to Ixtlan, Tales of Power
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Average customer rating:

Journey Ixtlan X
Carlos castaneda
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books