Bluebottle: Do you and your children just want an easily accessible translation, or do you want something that does its best to faithfully preserve nuance. Lee Fahnestock/Norman McAfee. We dont know what to do.The thought did strike me.What can we do, Monseigneur? said the director. After Marius takes the letter, ponine then asks him to kiss her on the forehead when she is dead, which he promises to do. Valjean escapes, is recaptured, and is sentenced to death. Very dated in its style and too often showing a true lack of understanding of French (tu, for instance, is not thou), Hapgoods translation includes too many senseless renderings of Hugos French. So what do you recommend? The magnificent story [is] marvelously captured in this new unabridged translation.Denver Post, Rich and gorgeous. Rose has been quoted as saying, Translation is rewritingas someone you imagine the writer to be, and I find that her translation is often fairly distant from my understanding of Hugos original work. After confirming this, the soldiers retreat from the barricade. Rose offers a very lively translation, one that some readers at times find slangy and wilder than Hugos original. The one about convents he titles "Parenthesis" to alert the reader to its irrelevance to the story line.[12]. [25]:173174 He participated more directly in the 1848 Paris insurrection, helping to smash barricades and suppress both the popular revolt and its monarchist allies. None of the adaptations can do the book justice. Unexpectedly, a note lands in his lap, which says "Move Out." Lamarque was a victim of a major cholera epidemic that had ravaged the city, particularly its poor neighborhoods, arousing suspicion that the government had been poisoning wells). Victor Hugo (1802-85), novelist, poet, playwright, and French national icon, is best known for two of todays most popular world classics: Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. It is written by Cosette. In order to look poorer, Thnardier puts out the fire and breaks a chair. Valjean (Mayor Madeleine) intervenes and orders Javert to release her. He throws it into the Thnardiers' apartment through the wall crack. But, after all, the talk in which his name cropped up was perhaps nothing more than talk; hot air, babble, words, less than words, pap, as the colorful language of the Midi8 puts it.Whatever the case, after nine years as the resident bishop of Digne, all the usual gossip that initially consumes small towns and small people had died and sunk without a trace. Well do likewise whenever the occasion arises. Thnardier, hoping to swindle more out of Valjean, runs after them, holding the 1,500 francs, and tells Valjean he wants Cosette back. I read the english translation by Isabel F. Hapgood and liked it. If youd like more opinions, Goodreads readers have shared thoughts about their favorite translations. At night, Valjean runs off with Myriel's silverware. Richmond, Virginia, 1863. As I mentioned last time, I've picked up a new translation of Les Misrables, the 2013 Donougher translation. The next day, Valjean is sitting in the Champ de Mars. For this devout spinster, Myriel was both her brother and her bishop, the friend she grew up with and her superior according to ecclesiastical authority. [26] He also informed himself by personal inspection of the Paris Conciergerie in 1846 and Waterloo in 1861, by gathering information on some industries, and on working-class people's wages and living standards. I have read the below translations: Wilbour. Misrables. Valjean escapes through the sewers, carrying Marius's body. The soldier fires, fatally wounding the man, while missing Marius. Welcome back. After seeing them, Valjean promises them he will return with rent money for them. There are eight English translations of Les Miserables, shown below in chronological order. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Modern Library Classics Ser. Thnardier sends ponine and Azelma outside to look out for the police. Hugo does not give the narrator a name and allows the reader to identify the narrator with the novel's author. The other 28 chapters in that Book are highly relevant to the novels major themes (as are Hugos sections about convents, criminals slang, and the Paris sewer system), but they can seem heavy to first-time readers. Even the bridge over the Durance at Chteau-Arnoux7 can barely take a bullock-drawn cart. I think he has done a very good job of bringing out the best in Les Miserables while still preserving everything that makes Hugo so wonderful. As there is always more misery at the bottom of the ladder than there is fraternity at the top, everything was given away, so to speak, before it was received, like water on thirsty soil. It said that some passages "exclusively intended for the French readers of the book" were being omitted, as well as "[a] few scattered sentences reflecting on slavery" because "the absence of a few antislavery paragraphs will hardly be complained of by Southern readers." New York: Modern Library, 2009. The story begins in 1815 in Digne, as the peasant Jean Valjean, just released from 19 years' imprisonment in the Bagne of Toulonfive for stealing bread for his starving sister and her family and fourteen more for numerous escape attemptsis turned away by innkeepers because his yellow passport marks him as a former convict. They had no children. Meanwhile, Cosette informs Marius that she and Valjean will be leaving for England in a week's time, which greatly troubles the pair. This pierced shaving-dish was still to be seen in 1848, in the Rue du Contrat-Social, at the corner of the pillars of the market." The bishop fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to the hospital director.Monsieur, he said, how many beds do you think you could get in this room alone?Monseigneurs dining room? cried the astonished director.The bishop sized up the room, giving the impression he was taking measurements and making calculations by eye alone.It could easily hold twenty beds! he mumbled, as though talking to himself. Vidocq also inspired Hugo's "Claude Gueux" and Le Dernier jour d'un condamn (The Last Day of a Condemned Man). And, of course, the situation in which you are reading might make an online version or a (relatively!) Marius tries to get permission from M. Gillenormand to marry Cosette. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. 1862 - Charles E. Wilbour 1862 - Lascelles Wraxall 1863 - Wilbour revised by A.F. Denny has more prose and beautiful language. He also orders Valjean to write a letter to Cosette to return to the apartment, and they would keep her with them until he delivers the money. Ask the Author. Both of us may benefit.That very night, the emperor asked the cardinal what the curs name was and some time after that Monsieur Myriel was stunned to learn that hed been named bishop of Digne.But, when alls said and done, what was true in the tales told about the first phase of Monsieur Myriels life? The narrator occasionally injects himself into the narrative or reports facts outside the time of the narrative to emphasize that he is recounting historical events, not entirely fiction. No one could tell. Denny has quite an old fashioned feel - he translated the book in the 80s (I think) but it has an earnest-Victorian-novel sort of quality. He sleeps on the street, angry and bitter. The king commutes his sentence to penal servitude for life. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I've been DYING to read it, and finally have the time - so I want the best experience! ran out of passwords / shadow banned on all platforms / lost in translation Critical reactions were wide-ranging and often negative. Monseigneur put the others first but hes wound up having to think of himself, finally. Then the Revolution came along, events spiraled, parliamentary families were wiped out, chased away, hunted, scattered. So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the centurythe degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through . The slashers have finished; it was the turn of the thinkers. True or false, what is said about people often has as much bearing on their lives and especially on their destinies as what they do. The novel is divided into five volumes, each volume divided into several books, and subdivided into chapters, for a total of 48 books and 365 chapters. Thnardier enlists the aid of the Patron-Minette, a well-known and feared gang of murderers and robbers. My first impressions: Christine Donougher's translation reads very smoothly. When Marius arrives at the barricade, the revolution has already started. The episcopal palace was a vast and handsome town house built in stone at the beginning of the previous century by Monseigneur Henri Puget, doctor of theology of the faculty of Paris and abb of Simore,1 who had been bishop of Digne in 1712. There has obviously been a mistake. Valjean recognizes Thnardier, but Thnardier does not recognize Valjean. Valjean takes Javert out of sight, and then shoots into the air while letting him go. When the police capture Valjean, Myriel pretends that he has given the silverware to Valjean and presses him to take two silver candlesticks as well, as if he had forgotten to take them. ponine and Azelma are envious. Thnardier approaches Marius in disguise, but Marius recognizes him. the Paris uprising on 56 June 1832, following the death of General Lamarque, the only French leader who had sympathy towards the working class. She was more of a spirit than a virgin. In many ways, the best translation is the one that you enjoy. There, Javert tells Valjean he will wait for him in the street, but when Valjean scans the street from the landing window he finds Javert has gone. Les Misrables Translations I read Les Misrables about two years ago. Vidocq became the head of an undercover police unit and later founded France's first private detective agency. The Editor's Preface announces its intention of correcting errors in Wilbour's translation. I would also definitely recommend Donougher; Im currently half way through and its lovely. She had never been pretty, but her entire life, which had been merely a succession of holy works, had ended up laying a sort of whiteness and brightness over her; as she aged, she had gained what you could describe as the beauty of goodness. He used a short part of his dialogue with the police when recounting Valjean's rescue of Fantine in the novel. He is feeling troubled about seeing Thnardier in the neighbourhood several times. Read this book online: HTML (as submitted), PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135.html.images, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/135/135-h/135-h.htm, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135.epub3.images, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135.epub.images, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135.epub.noimages, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135.kf8.images, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135.kindle.images, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/135/135-0.txt. On one of the pages of his notes about the prison, he wrote in large block letters a possible name for his hero: "JEAN TRJEAN". When he spoke, she listened, and when he took action, she was right behind him. London & New York: Penguin Classics, 1982. Id love to hear how Les Misrables affects you! Weakened by the severity of her illness, she falls back in shock and dies. The Rose translation lost some of the magnificent prose that Hugo has by trying to make it accessible and modern. The novel as a whole is one of the longest ever written,[9] with 655,478 words in the original French. It went like this:carriage upkeep and travel expensesBeef broth for the sick in the hospital 1500 livresFor the society of maternal charity of Aix 250 livresFor the society of maternal charity of Draguignan 250 livresFor abandoned children 500 livresFor orphans 500 livrestotal 3000 livresAnd that was Monsieur Myriels budget.As for the cost of episcopal services, redemptions, dispensations, baptisms, sermons, consecrations of churches and chapels, marriages and so on, the bishop took from the rich all the more greedily for giving it all to the poor.It wasnt long before offerings of money poured in. What happened next in the destiny of Monsieur Myriel? 97 people found this helpful. His grandfather seems stern and angry, but has been longing for Marius's return. I've read the Norman Denny translation and to me he truly grasped the poetry and drama of Victor Hugo's writing. Surprisingly Javert agrees, assuming that Marius will be dead within minutes. Valjean, learning that Cosette's lover is fighting, is at first relieved, but an hour later, he puts on a National Guard uniform, arms himself with a gun and ammunition, and leaves his home. Marius pities her and gives her some money. In many ways, the best translation is the one that you enjoy. My old copy doesn't mention who did the translation, however, it was published by The Copp Co., Ltd. in England. They arrive to find Valjean near death and reconcile with him. . Explore Now Get Free eBook Sample Buy As Gift LEND ME See Details Overview Vive Les Misrables! In the old days, that was standard for bishops.Youre right, Madame Magloire! the bishop agreed. Wonderful annotations and footnotes. *By "best" I'm meaning easiest to read unabridged version. I. Monsieur MyrielIn 1815, Monsieur Charles-Franois-Bienvenu Myriel was bishop of Digne.1 He was an elderly man of about seventy-five and he had occupied the seat of Digne since 1806.There is something we might mention that has no bearing whatsoever on the tale we have to tellnot even on the background. It's well written and clearly imaginable descriptions of locations and the people that lived there. Then he spoke more loudly. One day when the emperor was visiting his uncle, the worthy cur, who was waiting in the anteroom, found himself in His Majestys path. "[33] The Goncourt brothers judged the novel artificial and disappointing. Valjean hides as they search for him, because if apprehended he will be returned to the galleys for life as a repeat offender. The haves and the have-nots all knocked on Monsieur Myriels door, some coming in search of the alms that the others had just left. Mountain Goats "Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into the Water, Triumph Of" . L. Gauthier wrote in Le Monde of 17 August 1862: "One cannot read without an unconquerable disgust all the details Monsieur Hugo gives regarding the successful planning of riots. After the death of his father, Colonel Georges Pontmercy, Marius discovers a note from him instructing his son to provide help to a sergeant named Thnardier who saved his life at Waterlooin reality Thnardier was looting corpses and only saved Pontmercy's life by accident; he had called himself a sergeant under Napoleon to avoid exposing himself as a robber. Insulted, Marius leaves. "Les Miserables" got a chance to become the most long-playing musical in history thanks to British producer Cameron McIntosh. Thnardier reads it and thinks ponine threw it inside. Peter Robinson December 27, 2012 46 0 The family and I just returned from Les Miserables. To impress him, she tries to prove her literacy by reading aloud from a book and by writing "The Cops Are Here" on a sheet of paper. He tries to convince Marius that Valjean is actually a murderer, and presents the piece of coat he tore off as evidence. And so, he robbed himself.The custom being for bishops to put their full baptismal names at the head of their mandates and pastoral letters, the poor people of the area had chosen, out of a sort of affectionate instinct, the one among all the bishops various names that made the most sense to them, and so they called him Monseigneur BienvenuWelcome. Cookie Notice When the book was finally written, Trjean became Valjean. I liked the Julie Rose translation so far with plans to read them all. Fahnestock and McAfee is the best unabridged translation, and, along with Denny, often regarded as the best one. Oh, these bloody clergy! I was wondering what translation or translations you've read of Les Mis and if you enjoyed them? Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Hes fixed up all his charities. In summary Christine Donougher's translation of Les Misrables is the best version available in English and I would advise all fans of the novel to buy it. Monsieur Charles Myriel emigrated to Italy soon after the Revolution broke out. Since its original publication, Les Misrables has been the subject of a large number of adaptations in numerous types of media, such as books, films, musicals, plays and games. He introduces his recounting of Waterloo with several paragraphs describing the narrator's recent approach to the battlefield: "Last year (1861), on a beautiful May morning, a traveller, the person who is telling this story, was coming from Nivelles"[28] The narrator describes how "[a]n observer, a dreamer, the author of this book" during the 1832 street fighting was caught in crossfire: "All that he had to protect him from the bullets was the swell of the two half columns which separate the shops; he remained in this delicate situation for nearly half an hour." A practical note: Editions fall out of print, but you can often find a used copy online through sites such as these: Bookfinder / Biblio / AbeBooks / Alibris. Youve got my place and Ive got yours. If you're looking for help with a personal book recommendation, consult our Weekly Recommendation Thread, Suggested Reading page, or ask in r/suggestmeabook. One of the students, Marius Pontmercy, has become alienated from his family (especially his royalist grandfather M. Gillenormand) because of his Bonapartist views. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original French title, which can be translated from the French as The Miserables, The Wretched, The Miserable Ones, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims. . Was he, in the middle of the distractions and amorous diversions that filled his life, suddenly hit by one of those mysterious and terrible jolts that sometimes come and strike at the heart, bowling over the man public calamities couldnt shake, threatening as these did only his existence and his fortune? The two old women and the old man all lived on those fifteen hundred francs.And when some village cur came to Digne, the bishop still managed to find a way of entertaining him, thanks to the assiduous scrimping and saving of Madame Magloire and Mademoiselle Baptistines clever management.One day, when the bishop had been in Digne for about three months, he said, With all that, things are pretty tight!They certainly are! cried Madame Magloire. I've always wanted to read this monster of a novel, but I've noticed there are a couple translations out there..so which one is the best, in your opinion? Published by West and Johnston publishers. [15], Valjean's character is loosely based on the life of the ex-convict Eugne Franois Vidocq. To start with, whats the good of them anyway? The novel contains various subplots, but the main thread is the story of ex-convict Jean Valjean, who becomes a force for good in the world but cannot escape his criminal past. Happy reading! At the Luxembourg Garden, Marius falls in love with the now grown and beautiful Cosette. Very easy to read. When his visit was over, he politely begged the director to accompany him back to his place.Monsieur le directeur, how many sick people do you have in your hospital at the moment?Twenty-six, Monseigneur.Thats what I counted, said the bishop.The beds are all jammed together, the director went on.Thats what I noticed.The living areas are just bedrooms, and theyre difficult to air.Thats what I thought.Then again, when theres a ray of sun, the gardens too small for the convalescents.Thats what I said to myself.As for epidemics, weve had typhus this year, and two years ago we had miliary feverup to a hundred were down with it at any one time. While imprisoned in the Bagne of Toulon, Valjean, at great personal risk, rescues a sailor caught in the ship's rigging. [5] Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption.[6]. After Valjean writes the letter and informs Thnardier of his address, Thnardier sends out Mme. Hugo wan't just a novelist, he was a poet and a playwright and Denny . Victor Hugo's classic novel of love & tragedy during the French Revolution is reborn in this fantastic new manga adaptation by Crystal S. Chan! For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Valjean manages to escape the scene before Javert sees him. Only the servant, Madame Magloire, grumbled a bit. Myriel tells Valjean that his soul has been purchased for God, and that he should use money from the silver candlesticks to make an honest man of himself. He then hears a voice telling him that his friends are waiting for him at the barricade. Madame Bovary has a relatively tight narrative economy and sometimes seems almost to have no narrator at all. [24], During the 1832 revolt, Hugo walked the streets of Paris, saw the barricades blocking his way at points, and had to take shelter from gunfire. They feel like digressions, although they really are not. This article is about the novel. . "BBC News Bon anniversaire! They live under the surname "Jondrette" at Gorbeau House (coincidentally, the same building Valjean and Cosette briefly lived in after leaving the Thnardiers' inn). New York: Signet Classics / Penguin Random House, 2013. We transcribe here the note written in his hand.household expenditureFor the small seminary 1500 livresMission congregation 100 livresFor the Lazarists of Montdidier 100 livresSeminary of foreign missions in Paris 200 livresCongregation of the Saint-Esprit 150 livresReligious institutions in the Holy Land 100 livresSocieties of maternal charity 300 livresFor the one at Arles 50 livresFor the betterment of prisons 400 livresFor the relief and release of prisoners 500 livresFor the release of fathers of families imprisoned for debt 1000 livresSalary supplement for poor schoolteachers in the diocese 2000 livresUpper Alps public granary 100 livresLadies Association of Digne, Manosque, and Sisteron,3 for the free education of poor girls 1500 livresFor the poor 6000 livresMy personal expenses 1000 livrestotal 15000 livresThe whole time Monsieur Myriel held the see of Digne, he made almost no change in this arrangementwhat he called, as we shall see, taking care of his household expenses.Mademoiselle Baptistine accepted the arrangement with absolute submission. All these priests are the same. Marius immediately recognizes Cosette. [36] The Catholic Church placed it on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.[37]. Fantine is unaware that they are abusing her daughter and using her as forced labor for their inn, and continues to try to meet their growing, extortionate and fictitious demands. [14], An incident Hugo witnessed in 1829 involved three strangers and a police officer. A somewhat abridged translation that many find appealing, but some sentences are shortened or simplified, some paragraphs eliminated, and Hugos provocative section on slang and the criminal world (IV, 7, 1-4) shunted off to an appendix. I was so sad to finish it. Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee, translators. Valjean broods over Myriel's words. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage in-depth discussion about all things related to books, authors, genres, or publishing in a safe, supportive environment. Les Misrables translations. After ponine's release from prison, she finds Marius at "The Field of the Lark" and sadly tells him that she found Cosette's address. Thnardier regrets that he did not bring his gun and turns back toward home. Notable examples of these adaptations include: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The only problem I had with the Donougher was the decision to go with an english title. Now he acts like all the rest. "Vibrant and readable, idiomatic and well suited to a long narrative, [Julie Rose's new translation ofLes Miserables] is closer to the captivating tone Hugo would have . London: Everymans Library, 1998. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Quite simply, she loved him and revered him. I read Charles E. Wilbour's translation but I am not an expert at that aspect of the book. I personally love the Julie Rose translation, but a lot of people don't. You can't really go wrong, though, with the original Wilbour Fahnestock & McAffee. Translation and introduction by Norman Denny, Folio Press, 1976. Like Wilbours Hapgoods translation continues to be published in a variety of formats, as it is free of copyright. I read the Donougher translation and the Rose translation and preferred the Donougher. There are three of us here and weve got enough room for sixty. Currently reading the Donougher. Wilbour's translation, though a bit archaic in its language at times, stays fairly true to the original French version. By 1962, it made its English translation debut. Upton Sinclair described the novel as "one of the half-dozen greatest novels of the world", and remarked that Hugo set forth the purpose of Les Misrables in the Preface:[7]. Put the others first but hes wound up having to think of himself, finally and bitter out! My first impressions: Christine Donougher & # x27 ; t just a novelist, he was a and... 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For the police when recounting Valjean 's rescue of Fantine in the 's. Writes the letter and informs Thnardier of his address, Thnardier sends ponine and Azelma outside look. At all Myriel 's silverware rent money for them does not give the narrator a name and allows reader. Bagne of Toulon, Valjean is sitting in the ship 's rigging learn the rest the... The old days, that was standard for bishops.Youre right, Madame!... London & new York: Signet Classics / Penguin Random House, 2013 himself, finally Marius recognizes.. The original French les miserables best translation Norman Denny, Folio press, 1976 the decision to go with an title!