Home Page › Forums › Fiction Writing › Book Discussions › Translation Troubles! Help!!!
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February 27, 2017 at 9:32 pm #26573
Hey, everyone! Recently, I’ve been on the lookout for some literary bangers to tackle in my free time, and a few that I’ve seen mentioned on here have caught my attention. Namely, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment and possibly, possibly, Les Mis. (Zikers! Am I ambitious or what? π)
Anyways, all these have one thing in common: they each have multiple translations!! *pulls hair* Ahh!! I’ve never had to deal with this before! π
So, if you guys could point me in the right direction, I’d be eternally grateful! Which version did you read? If you’ve by any chance read more than one, which was your favorite? You get the idea. π
For the tags…..@aratrea @daeus @r-j-wordsmith I distinctly remember all three of you mentioning at least one for these as being your favorite. And I’m pretty sure everyone hereabouts loves Les Mis., (π) so I’ll just tag anyone else I can think of! @kate-Flournoy @emma-Flournoy @winter-rose @dragon-snapper @ethryndal @hope @his-instrument @anyone-else-with-a-suggestion!
Ta,
Gracie*is probably geeking out about something*
February 27, 2017 at 9:44 pm #26575This is the copy I read of the count of monte cristo. It’s the only translation I’ve read, but it felt very well done. https://www.amazon.com/Count-Monte-Cristo-Everymans-Library/dp/0307271129/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1488249837&sr=8-6&keywords=the+count+of+monte+cristo
π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’
February 27, 2017 at 9:52 pm #26578@daeus Thanks!
*is probably geeking out about something*
February 27, 2017 at 9:52 pm #26579@GracieGirl Read Les Mis. It will not disappoint. (Unless you read the wrong version, perhaps. π )
The version I read was a Signet Classic, complete and unabridged version, translated by Lee Fahenstock and Norman MacAfee. Here’s a link, just so you can see which one it is…I’m not sure if we bought it from here or not but am pretty certain it’s the same one.Of course since I haven’t read the original French I can’t say how accurate of a translation this is, but as far as clarity and flow goes, it’s great. π Plus there are translations at the bottom of the pages of the French poems/songs/phrases that still appear in French.
February 27, 2017 at 9:56 pm #26580@emma-Flournoy Perfect! Thank you! π I’m fairly positive I will read Les Mis. I’m just not sure if, out of all the ones I listed, I’ll read it first.
*is probably geeking out about something*
February 27, 2017 at 10:37 pm #26584I got the Golden Deer Classics edition on Kindle for CoMC. The read was very smooth, and worth every one of the 117 chapters.
February 27, 2017 at 10:40 pm #26585@r-j-wordsmith Thanks!
*is probably geeking out about something*
February 28, 2017 at 7:55 am #26598*hides face* I…er…have honestly not read any of those…not even Les Mis. *runs for life*
β β β ENFP β β β
February 28, 2017 at 12:29 pm #26603@GracieGirl *huge thumbs up*
@Dragon-Snapper No one will kill you (at least not I). But is for your own satisfaction you should read them. π
I’ve only read two of those though, so don’t feel awful. πFebruary 28, 2017 at 8:05 pm #26623@emma-flournoy That’s a relief…
β β β ENFP β β β
May 9, 2017 at 7:10 pm #32837Concerning The Count of Monte Cristo,
That was amazing
I can’t even…
I’ve been staring into space for about 20 mins. I’m still in shock….
*is probably geeking out about something*
May 9, 2017 at 8:14 pm #32841@GracieGirl Whoo-HOO! *claps you on the shoulder* It’ll be all right. XD Who was your favorite?
But I’m gonna say, wait till you read Les Mis. It’s even better. (Though a different sort of story, I know.)May 9, 2017 at 8:47 pm #32846No it’s not!
Ok, they’re both good. The point is, you’ve love the best novel in the world too!
I don’t have words for that myself.
When you recover (like, in a year) I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it. π
π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’π’
May 9, 2017 at 9:09 pm #32855@Emma-Flournoy I’ve been through book-withdrawal before, but it never really gets any easier, you know? XD It’ll take me a week, maybe two before I can bear to read anything else. π
It is always so terribly hard to pick fav characters! Of course, I love Edmond, he is awesome, and probably my favorite. And it is very rare for me to like a protagonist best. Luigi Vampa was pretty cool, and his bandit fellow, Peppino was #hilarious at the end there with Danglars. The whole ‘100,000 francs for a piece of bread or chicken’ had me rolling around with laughter. XD But, after Edmond, I really love Albert. Oh, he was an idiot for most of the first half, but he turned out real fine in the end. I really despised him at first, turned up nose at him too. I dunno for sure what happened, but by the end I cared about him a lot.
Who was your favorite?*is probably geeking out about something*
May 9, 2017 at 9:49 pm #32873@Daeus I’m feeling a teensy bit better. But let us say for sure that I will not be forgetting this book for a loooonnngggg time. Or ever, in all probability. π
The ending…oh, my goodness. BEAUTIFUL. For some reason, seeing:
Your friend
Edmond Dantès
Count of Monte Cristoat the end of his letter to Maximilien and Valentine just broke my heart (in a good way). I got all choked up and watery-eyed. Seeing both names together brought back a flood of memories at once, all we’ve been through seemed concentrated in that signature to me. I will always love a book that can make me feel the fictional passage of time. By which I mean that, at the end of CoMC, I had not known Edmond for two weeks (the time it took to read the whole book), but for 24 years (the time that had passed in the story). It feels as if it has been a lifetime since we rode the Pharaon into the port at Marseille. I actually went back and re-read the first half of the first chapter, which made me get teary-eyed all over again. Oh, all that we’ve endured and seen since then! But I couldn’t make myself fully cry even though I wanted to sooo bad. It gets harder to do that the older I get. And then, of course, Val’s line at the very end was wonderfully moving. I think I’m going to do a painting with it…
Okay, I’m done venting now. π (But I just experienced emotional trauma at the hands of a paperback so it’s to be expected, I suppose.)Oh, and @Emma-Flournoy fear not! I shall read Les Mis VERY soon. (As soon as I am rehabilitated and find a copy of the good translation, that is. None of my libraries have it!!! π )
*is probably geeking out about something*
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