Yei Theodora Ozaki
Encyclopedia
Yei Theodora Ozaki was an early 20th century translator
of Japan
ese short stories and fairy tales. Her translations were fairly liberal but have been popular, and were reprinted several times after her death.
According to "A Biographical Sketch" by Mrs. Hugh Fraser
, included in the introductory material to Warriors of old Japan, and other stories, Ozaki came from an unusual background. She was the daughter of Baron Ozaki, one of the first Japanese men to study in the West, and Bathia Catherine Morrison, daughter of William Morrison, one of their teachers. Her parents separated after five years of marriage, and her mother retained custody of their three daughters until they became teenagers. At that time, Yei was sent to live in Japan with her father, which she enjoyed. Later she refused an arranged marriage, left her father's house, and became a teacher and secretary to earn money. Over the years, she traveled back and forth between Japan and Europe, as her employment and family duties took her, and lived in places as diverse as Italy and the drafty upper floor of a Buddhist temple.
All this time, her letters were frequently misdelivered to the unrelated Japanese politician Yukio Ozaki
, and his to her. In 1904, they finally met, and soon married.
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese short stories and fairy tales. Her translations were fairly liberal but have been popular, and were reprinted several times after her death.
According to "A Biographical Sketch" by Mrs. Hugh Fraser
Mary Crawford Fraser
Mary Crawford Fraser , usually known as Mrs. Hugh Fraser, was an American writer noted for her various memoirs and historical novels....
, included in the introductory material to Warriors of old Japan, and other stories, Ozaki came from an unusual background. She was the daughter of Baron Ozaki, one of the first Japanese men to study in the West, and Bathia Catherine Morrison, daughter of William Morrison, one of their teachers. Her parents separated after five years of marriage, and her mother retained custody of their three daughters until they became teenagers. At that time, Yei was sent to live in Japan with her father, which she enjoyed. Later she refused an arranged marriage, left her father's house, and became a teacher and secretary to earn money. Over the years, she traveled back and forth between Japan and Europe, as her employment and family duties took her, and lived in places as diverse as Italy and the drafty upper floor of a Buddhist temple.
All this time, her letters were frequently misdelivered to the unrelated Japanese politician Yukio Ozaki
Yukio Ozaki
was a liberal Japanese politician, born in modern-day Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Ozaki served in the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet for 63 years, from 1890-1953...
, and his to her. In 1904, they finally met, and soon married.
Works
- Japanese Fairy Tales aka The Japanese Fairy Book
- Warriors of old Japan, and other stories
- Romances of old Japan
- Buddha's crystal and other fairy stories