But still after all that time, it's the only one that is available in Welsh. Pretty formal literary Welsh too. And it looks like it's going to remain alone as far as Welsh is concerned.
I've been told that "Wales" ,whatever that means in this context, can't afford the rights to publish any more of them.
Tybed .... that seems very odd to me. Pysgodog !
Anyway, I have a sort of solution.
First off... I've long thought it would be a smashing idea organise a translation of the next one ,where each chapter would be translated by a different person. Seriously ... not only would it reduce the workload for each person dramatically, so they would be much more likely to take it on, plus it would be brilliant from the reader's point of view to, to get all those different styles. .. you'd get formal Welsh, colloquial Welsh, gog Welsh, deheuol Welsh, gegin Welsh ... it would be like that bloke who had every disease ... medical students would walk round him and get their degree.
So that's idea 1.
Here's idea 2 ..... which we will all keep quiet about, OK. It'll be done in secret, on the net.
I've long believed that if you wrote it on the net in Welsh, it'll stay pretty secret. That's not an insult or owt, I just think it's how it is. If the 2nd Harry Potter was translated in that way, with different people working at each chapter, and then bunged on the net, who's going to tell anyone? It's in all our interests to [a] have it and [b] shut up about it.
Plus ..... how would anyone know who had done it ?
No money would be involved, so there would be no fraud or anything.... it would get done because enough Welsh people wanted it to be done. It would be a "good thing."
And it could be done quite quickly. Bonus !!
So there you are ... two ideas for the price of none.
And don't forget ... it was leafing through that book up there in a charity shop that
pulled me into learning Welsh .. it was so mysterious and difficult and rare and secret ... and it still is. So I've got an extra interest in seeing the next one get done .
Right then , I've thrown that thought into the world. It should really have been done by now ..