Winnie the Pooh and Wee Grumphie hae a guid crack in Scots translation

Published on Saturday 12 July 2008 19:43

WHAUR'S the honey? For decades the best-known resident of Hundred Acre Wood has been the chubby and loveable embodiment of English whimsy. But now Winnie the Pooh has been translated into Scots.

The transfer of the children's classic into the language of Burns and MacDiarmid has seen Piglet being renamed Wee Grumphie.

The rebranding of Pooh's best friend is part of an otherwise faithful adaptation of AA Milne's 1926 tale by James Robertson.

Robertson is also the author of the acclaimed novel The Testament Of Gideon Mack, the dark tale about a Scottish minister who encounters the devil, which was chosen as a book of the year for Channel 4's Richard and Judy Book Club.

The new book, to be published next month, is tipped to become an unlikely best seller.

Winnie The Pooh In Scots, which received a grant of 1,500 from the Scottish Arts Council, is the brainchild of publisher Itchy Coo.

A spokesman for the Edinburgh-based firm said: "The Pooh books have been translated into many languages all over the world and we are delighted to give Winnie his first outing in Scots.

"James Robertson's version of Winnie The Pooh, complete with the original Ernest Shepard illustrations, is a warm and charming rendition of this much-loved tale, which will delight bairns and adults alike."

The firm has released a sneak preview of the book which states: "Yin day, when Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh and Wee Grumphie were aw haein a crack thegither, Christopher Robin feenished whit he had in his mooth and said lichtsomely: 'I saw a Huffalump the-day, Wee Grumphie.'

"'Whit wis it daein?' spiered Wee Grumphie.

"'Jist lampin alang,' said Christopher Robin."

Mike Ridley, the owner of Pooh Corner visitor centre in East Sussex, welcomed the character's tartan makeover.

He said: "Everyone should be able to enjoy Winnie The Pooh, and translating his adventures into Scots is a wonderful idea.

"Pooh belongs to the world.

"I'm sure Winnie himself would be intrigued. I can picture him cracking open a jar of finest Scottish heather honey and happily flicking through the pages."

Ridley, a lifelong Pooh fan, had no objection to the original version being changed.

"I rather like the name Wee Grumphie for Piglet," he said. "It has a charm to it and I'm sure no one will be offended by the change."

Dr Chris Robinson, director of Scottish Language Dictionaries, was delighted by the project.

She said: "It is so important for young people to see their own language written down. To see it in books that are widely loved and prestigious, like Winnie The Pooh, is a great thing."

In 1958 the book was translated into Latin and became Winnie Ille Pu. It became the first non-English language book to make the New York Times Bestseller list.

Alan Alexander Milne was born in England to Scots parents in 1882. His books about a bear of very little brain were an instant success and have sold more than 20 million copies around the world.