December 7th, 2004 Alagaësia Newsletter

Greetings!

Last month, I mentioned that the manuscript for Eldest would be finished by the time you received this newsletter. I almost made it; I am writing the final chapter. And while I look forward to completing this project, a part of me is sad to see it finished. Once the images in my mind are set to paper, the emotions and drama forced to mere words, I am left with a reflection of that which fires my imagination. I hope my words are adequate to convey the drama vividly to you.

Each week my editor sends me a pouch filled with your letters. I enjoy learning about how Eragon has touched your lives and appreciate each person who took the time to write to me.

One girl shared how these newsletters inspire her to keep writing, even when she feels like quitting. Carry on, Tessa! I heard from students in Missoula, Montana, who built an enormous flying Saphira for their school library. And I cherish the hopes and dreams of numerous young authors who strive to write stories of their own.

This month while I was focused on writing, my fans were preparing for my twenty-first birthday. A big thank you to Mike, at Shurtugal.com, for collecting and creating a scrapbook of pictures and messages from hundreds of fans. I found the book humbling; it made me realize just how many people have enjoyed Eragon’s adventures and the responsibility I owe each and every one of you to ensure that the story is as good as possible. Also, another big thank you to Natalya for her book of How I Found Eragon Stories. I was astonished to see an entry from my dad:

“I found out about Eragon from my son, Christopher, who was writing Eragon in his room, on his computer and by hand with paper and pen. I first got a chance to read the beginning section of the book, 125 pages, when my wife said, “Kenneth, you have to read what Christopher wrote. There is something very special about this story. Trust me. Read it, now! I did and that’s how I got hooked.”

More international Eragon editions have arrived: Turkish, Croatian, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Dutch, and Czech. We know that the Portuguese edition is out, but we haven’t seen it yet. There is tremendous excitement in these countries and Eragon is traveling around the world.

Here is the first line, “Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world,” as printed in the various languages (with apologies for a few missing diacritical and accent marks that I couldn't find on my computer):

Dutch: De wind die door de nacht huilde, bracht een geur met zich mee die de wereld zou veranderen.

Croatian: Vjetar je zavijao kroz mrklu noc noseci miris koji ce promijeniti svijet, miris zvijeri.

Turkish: Dünyayi degistirecek kokuyu tasiyan rüzgâr, gece uguldayarak esiyordu.

French: Le vent hurlait dans la nuit, charriant une odeur qui allait changer le monde.

German: Der Wind heulte durch die Nacht und trug einen Duft heran, der die Welt verändern sollte.

Czech: Vítr skucel nocí a prinásel s sebou v¨ni, která zmení svet.

Spanish: El viento bramaba en plena noche transportando un aroma que cambiaría el mundo.

In early November, a large box arrived. It contained a beautiful red book called Your Favorite Seuss: A Baker’s Dozen by the one and only Dr. Seuss, now on sale. Earlier this year I was invited to submit an essay for The Cat in the Hat section of this book. What an honor! Since this was one of my favorite childhood stories, I was happy to write a short piece called And Enter the Cat.

I know that you are waiting to read the continuing adventures of Eragon and Saphira. They have traveled far, met dwarves and elves and . . . Roran becomes . . . but I mustn’t say too much; soon the tale will be in your hands, and you will know.

May your swords stay sharp!

Christopher Paolini

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