Notes: A translation of Let Some Mysterious Chunk of Space Debris Puncture the Roof and Set Me Free by Dendroica. les. After leaving Marius at his grandfather's house, Valjean asks to be allowed a brief visit to his own home, and Javert agrees. Les Misrables is prone to long digressions in which the narration stops so that the narrator can explain things (sometimes only distantly related to the novel) to us. Hes fixed up all his charities. Press J to jump to the feed. You have to resign yourself to it.This conversation took place in the dining-room gallery on the ground floor. [36] The Catholic Church placed it on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.[37]. Javert comes to see Valjean again. Peter Robinson December 27, 2012 46 0 The family and I just returned from Les Miserables. Also note that he streamlined the text in some places and moved two "digressions" to the back as appendices. Donougher's is the best translation I've read. According to Wikipedia: "Les Misrables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century. Some readers like Wilbours style. A masterpiece of literature. with the very best personal fishing guides available to Les Ambassadeurs' members across a range of idyllic locations. So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates a destiny that is divine with human fatality; so long as the three problems of the agethe degradation of man by poverty, the ruin of women by starvation, and the dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual nightare not solved; so long as, in certain regions, social asphyxia shall be possible; in other words, and from a yet more extended point of view, so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless. Thnardier and Patron-Minette try to escape, only to be stopped by Javert. A template for Hugo's novel was Les Mystres de Paris (The Mysteries of Paris), a serial novel of similar length which enjoyed great success on its appearance in 184243, by Eugne Sue. Among other powerful persons, he called on Cardinal Fesch,7 Napolons uncle, to petition him on his parishioners behalf. [14], An incident Hugo witnessed in 1829 involved three strangers and a police officer. Donougher sits nicely in the middle in my opinion - accessible and conversational style but very true to the original text. It's the one I have, and about halfway in it was quite good. Valjean arrives at Montfermeil on Christmas Eve. No, It's Not Actually the French Revolution: Les Misrables and History. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. He had to endure it even though he was the bishop, and because he was the bishop. He deemed it an "infantile" effort and brought an end to Hugo's career like "the fall of a god". 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]. Vidocq became the head of an undercover police unit and later founded France's first private detective agency. My first impressions: Christine Donougher's translation reads very smoothly. 8 years ago. Wilbour's translation, though a bit archaic in its language at times, stays fairly true to the original French version. 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. . Id love to hear how Les Misrables affects you! At last!The same night, the bishop wrote a note, which he handed to his sister. Les Misrables translations. Valjean goes to Fantine, speaks to her in an inaudible whisper, kisses her hand, and then leaves with Javert. Each chapter is relatively short, commonly no longer than a few pages. Valjean tells Cosette her mother's story and name. It avoids the jarring modernism of Rose's translation and, as far as I can tell, remains true to the original. Later, Fantine's body is unceremoniously thrown into a public grave. [38][39] Translated the same year it appeared into several foreign languages, including Italian, Greek, and Portuguese, it proved popular not only in France, but across Europe and abroad. The soldier fires, fatally wounding the man, while missing Marius. 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. 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. 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. *By "best" I'm meaning easiest to read unabridged version. Valjean broods over Myriel's words. Quite simply, she loved him and revered him. [16], In 1828, Vidocq, already pardoned, saved one of the workers in his paper factory by lifting a heavy cart on his shoulders as Valjean does. He orders a meal and observes how the Thnardiers abuse her, while pampering their own daughters ponine and Azelma, who mistreat Cosette for playing with their doll. The next day, Valjean is sitting in the Champ de Mars. 77, No. When he stoops down to pick up a powder keg, a soldier comes up to shoot Marius. I've been reading Les Misrables (aka "The Brick") since the beginning of this month and I'm really enjoying it so far, 900 pages in. Les Misrables - Other forms The novel inevitably found a home in various media. Hapgood. It opens volume 2 with such a change of subject as to seem the beginning of an entirely different work. I find Donoughers translation to be engaging, modern, and accurate. The hydra at the beginning, the angel at the end. In the old days, that was standard for bishops.Youre right, Madame Magloire! the bishop agreed. 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. Thnardier to get Cosette. . London & New York: Penguin Books, 2015. He tries to find a way to save Valjean while not betraying Thnardier. A brilliant piece of translation. He then confronts Thnardier with his crimes and offers him an immense sum to depart and never return. Oh, these bloody clergy! Charles Wilbour, translator. And he put in his claim.A short while later, after considering this application, the department council voted him an annual stipend of three thousand francs, under the heading, Bishops Allowance for Carriage Upkeep, Postal Costs, and Travel Expenses Incurred in Pastoral Rounds.The local bourgeoisie was up in arms over this and an imperial senator,4 who had been a member of the Council of Five Hundred5 promoting the Eighteenth Brumaire and was now provided with a magnificent senatorial seat near Digne township, wrote a cranky little private letter to the minister of public worship, Monsieur Bigot de Prameneu.6 We produce here a genuine extract of a few lines:Carriage upkeep? Marius tries to get permission from M. Gillenormand to marry Cosette. 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. I've read the Norman Denny translation and to me he truly grasped the poetry and drama of Victor Hugo's writing. Translation is difficult for many reasons, including the fact that a good translation needs to be true to the original and able to stand on its own for a new audience, as explained in a 2008 NPR story. Marva Barnett: Which translation of Les Miserables do you recommend?, How Les Miserables Became Lees Miserables, Some Translations of Les Miserables by Olin H. Moore, NPR: The Art of Translation by Rick Kleffel, Tumblr: Whats wrong with Norman Denny by anonymous user, Beatrice: What Julie Rose Adds to Victor Hugo by Ron Hogan, criminal slang or argot (Part 4, Book 7). Valjean, feeling responsible because his factory turned her away, promises Fantine that he will bring Cosette to her. 4 3 Related Topics Book Reading, Writing, and Literature 3 comments Best Add a Comment mirainokirby 7 yr. ago Since languages are, of course, not directly equivalent, translation is as much an art as a skill, and translators have their individual ethos and goals in rendering a text in another language. 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. [30] A massive advertising campaign[31] preceded the release of the first two volumes of Les Misrables in Brussels on 30 or 31 March and in Paris on 3 April 1862. Valjean also becomes a gardener and Cosette becomes a student at the convent school. I read the english translation by Isabel F. Hapgood and liked it. He and Cosette then finally meet and declare their love for one another. 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. ), Hughes. Denny is sometimes regarded as the best, most poetic translation, though it is abridged, as it removed about 200 pgs of (if i remember right) something like descriptions of sewer systems. In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory w. The philanthropist and his daughter enteractually Valjean and Cosette. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. He also orders Azelma to punch out a window pane, which she does, resulting in cutting her hand (as Thnardier had hoped). Lucy Day Aug 23, 2021 07:40PM 0 votes. One has to proceed on horseback. 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. He feels he can no longer give Valjean up to the authorities but also cannot ignore his duty to the law. When no one volunteers to lift the cart, even for pay, he decides to rescue Fauchelevent himself. He informs Valjean that he cannot release Cosette without a note from the child's mother. Thnardier sends ponine and Azelma outside to look out for the police. Yes there are English translations of Les Miserables. The very day he moved into the hospital, Monsieur Myriel decided once and for all to put this sum to use as follows. There are many film adaptations of the book, and the stage and movie musical version, but the book is so much richer. Upon exiting, Valjean encounters Javert and requests time to return Marius to his family before surrendering to him. 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? Misrables. The Wilbour (1862) and Hapgood (1887) translations use old-fashioned English which some find pleasant and some find clunky. "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 . There has obviously been a mistake. He tries to convince Marius that Valjean is actually a murderer, and presents the piece of coat he tore off as evidence. The novel has been translated into 21 languages, and there are 7 different translations into English which English-speaking readers can choose from. He sees a figure running away in the dim light. This is the [translation] to read. The only problem I had with the Donougher was the decision to go with an english title. When Enjolras confronts him about this, he admits his identity and his orders to spy on the students. Marius recognizes Thnardier as the man who saved his father's life at Waterloo and is caught in a dilemma. The author also states to the reader that ponine anonymously threw the note to Valjean. Julie Rose, translator. There are three of us here and weve got enough room for sixty. So I recommend that you enjoy and learn from them, if you can, but dont let them keep you from the characters and the plot. 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. - : Les Miserables : Hugo, Victor: As they rush to Valjean's house, Marius tells Cosette that Valjean saved his life at the barricade. "Les Miserables" got a chance to become the most long-playing musical in history thanks to British producer Cameron McIntosh. Many readers enjoy Hapgoods translation. This edition contains a few errors of translation and more than a few moments in which I had to turn back to Hugos original. Then he spoke more loudly. 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. 25 facts about Les Mis", "Read the Ten Longest Novels Ever Written", "Letter of G. Flaubert to Madame Roger des Genettes July 1862", "The official source for Broadway Information", "David Oyelowo, Dominic West, Lily Collins to Star in BBC's, "Victor Hugo Can't Rest in Peace, As a Sequel Makes Trouble", Les Misrables: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack, Association Littraire et Artistique Internationale, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Les_Misrables&oldid=1141463851, French novels adapted into television shows, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, first published in Belgium, when author was in self-imposed exile in. Valjean takes Cosette and they try to escape from Javert. [25]:273276, Victor Hugo drew his inspiration from everything he heard and saw, writing it down in his diary. Project Gutenberg. It includes "detailed explanatory notes, an overview of key themes, and more". Javert admits that after being forced to free Fantine, he reported him as Valjean to the French authorities. He must have luxury, the same as the old bishops. He must have a carriage and a post chaise. The king commutes his sentence to penal servitude for life. And, of course, the situation in which you are reading might make an online version or a (relatively!) ran out of passwords / shadow banned on all platforms / lost in translation Fahnestock and McAfee is the best unabridged translation, and, along with Denny, often regarded as the best one. Napolon, seeing the old boy give him the once-over with a certain curiosity, wheeled round and said brusquely: Who is this little man staring at me?Your Majesty, said Monsieur Myriel, you see a little man, and I see a great man. Cookie Notice After confirming this, the soldiers retreat from the barricade. Les Misrables has enjoyed tremendous popularity since it first hit the shelves in the 19th century. Enjolras announces that they are almost out of cartridges. Eight years later, the Friends of the ABC, led by Enjolras, are preparing an act of anti-Orlanist civil unrest (i.e. She also confesses to saving his life because she wanted to die before he did. ). Later that evening, Marius goes back to Valjean's and Cosette's house on Rue Plumet, but finds the house no longer occupied. Valjean and Cosette flee to Paris. Captures the poetic, thoughtful nature of Hugos writing without feeling hard work to read. This article is about the novel. The Editor's Preface announces its intention of correcting errors in Wilbour's translation. Fantine discovers that Cosette is not at the hospital and fretfully asks where she is. His grandfather seems stern and angry, but has been longing for Marius's return. I've tried researching it myself, but I can't seem to come to a conclusion on which is the BEST translation of Hugo's Les Miserables. WANT A NOOK? Javert gives Marius two pistols and instructs him to fire one into the air if things get dangerous. I read Charles E. Wilbour's translation but I am not an expert at that aspect of the book. He instructed them to build on his earlier success and suggested this approach: "What Victor H. did for the Gothic world in Notre-Dame of Paris [The Hunchback of Notre-Dame], he accomplishes for the modern world in Les Misrables". They live under the surname "Jondrette" at Gorbeau House (coincidentally, the same building Valjean and Cosette briefly lived in after leaving the Thnardiers' inn). ponine and Azelma are envious. Valjean manages to escape the scene before Javert sees him. His wife died there of the chest infection shed had for ages. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. I liked the Julie Rose translation so far with plans to read them all. After the wedding, Valjean confesses to Marius that he is an ex-convict. And then, how the hell does he do the rounds by post chaise in such mountainous terrain? When Valjean returns with rent money, Thnardier, with Patron-Minette, ambushes him and he reveals his real identity to Valjean. Thnardier takes the thirty francs he finds, opens the gate, and allows Valjean to leave, expecting Valjean's emergence from the sewer will distract the police who have been pursuing him. I was wondering what translation or translations you've read of Les Mis and if you enjoyed them? He learns Cosette's whereabouts and he writes a farewell letter to her. It is written by Cosette. 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. ponine then tells Marius that she has a letter for him. This is the best translation of the novel available in English, as recommended by David Bellos in The Novel of the Century. As he searches Valjean and Marius's pockets, he surreptitiously tears off a piece of Marius's coat so he can later find out his identity. The Wretched, Doneagher (sp? After ponine leaves, Marius observes the "Jondrettes" in their apartment through a crack in the wall. Also published in an abridged edition by New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1996; 2003. 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. 1862 - Charles E. Wilbour 1862 - Lascelles Wraxall 1863 - Wilbour revised by A.F. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser, According to Wikipedia: "Les Misrables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century. [29] Hugo forbade his publishers from summarizing his story and refused to authorize the publication of excerpts in advance of publication. VICTOR HUGO'S novel "Les Miserables" is best known these days as a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. the Paris uprising on 56 June 1832, following the death of General Lamarque, the only French leader who had sympathy towards the working class. 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. One-volume edition, paperback, 1,232 pages (Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1982-1987). 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? 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