David C. answers “Hey everyone, I am translating Forever...”

Zuzana Hábeková asked this question about Brief Interviews with Hideous Men:

Hey everyone, I am translating Forever Overhead from English, where the concluding Hello is polysemantic. Do you think the meaning of the Hello is that of a greeting to something new the boy is entering into or his call in order for his voice to be heard? In Slovak, I can only use either of the meanings, for which there are two separate words. Much appreciated, thank you!

David C. I just finished reading this book about three weeks ago, and read this entire story again to answer your question.

I'm of the opinion that the closing …moreI just finished reading this book about three weeks ago, and read this entire story again to answer your question.

I'm of the opinion that the closing 'hello' is a greeting, but not from the boy to what he is entering, but the opposite: a greeting from the world to the boy, ans in 'welcome.' The boy is changing into a man and the world is greeting him. I don't know if there is any way for you to capture this nuance with yet a third word, but even in English, it's something that has to be gathered from the context, so if you have to chose between the two my vote would be for the former.(less)

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Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

by David Foster Wallace

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