But the tale of redemption and love set during early 19th century France has been adapted numerous times for celluloid. Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. In desperation, Fantine sells her hair and two front teeth, and she resorts to prostitution to pay the Thnardiers. For more information, please see our The cover looks exactly like this but it has "Complete and unabridged" printed on the cover as well.. This is the [translation] to read. [34] Flaubert found "neither truth nor greatness" in it. 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. Among those three, I'd go with Donougher. Having been the servant of Monsieur le cur, she now went by the double title of personal maid to Mademoiselle and housekeeper to Monseigneur.9Mademoiselle Baptistine was a tall, pale, thin, sweet person, the personification of that ideal expressed by the word respectable; for it seems a woman must be a mother to be esteemed. Marius overhears Thnardier's plan and goes to Javert to report the crime. He, Mme. The Thnardiers have also moved to Paris and now live in poverty after losing their inn. Years earlier in Paris, a grisette named Fantine was very much in love with Flix Tholomys. He evades a police patrol, and reaches an exit gate but finds it locked. While imprisoned in the Bagne of Toulon, Valjean, at great personal risk, rescues a sailor caught in the ship's rigging. They live under the surname "Jondrette" at Gorbeau House (coincidentally, the same building Valjean and Cosette briefly lived in after leaving the Thnardiers' inn). Mme. Helpful. Reader Q&A, After ponine leaves, Marius observes the "Jondrettes" in their apartment through a crack in the wall. Weakened by the severity of her illness, she falls back in shock and dies. 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". At the same time, his theft is reported to the authorities. Hello! However, several alternatives have been used, including The Miserables, The Wretched, The Miserable Ones, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims, and The Dispossessed. Insulted, Marius leaves. He learns Cosette's whereabouts and he writes a farewell letter to her. Valjean accedes to Marius' judgment and his separation from Cosette. I'm at the point where Valjean is about to steal the silver (spoilers!). Very easy to read. My first impressions: Christine Donougher's translation reads very smoothly. . The magnificent story [is] marvelously captured in this new unabridged translation.Denver Post, Rich and gorgeous. Wonderful annotations and footnotes. Marius pities her and gives her some money. ponine comes in and announces that a philanthropist and his daughter are arriving to visit them. This is the best translation of the novel available in English, as recommended by David Bellos in The Novel of the Century. : Les Misrables by Victor Hugo (2009, Trade. The novel opens with a statement about the bishop of Digne in 1815 and immediately shifts: "Although these details in no way essentially concern that which we have to tell" Only after 14 chapters does Hugo pick up the opening thread again, "In the early days of the month of October, 1815", to introduce Jean Valjean. I don't know whether it will be read by everyone, but it is meant for everyone. The king commutes his sentence to penal servitude for life. . [Things were not good with Rome at that point. ran out of passwords / shadow banned on all platforms / lost in translation 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 asked his mistresses, Lonie d'Aunet and Juliette Drouet, to tell him about life in convents. After leaving Marius at his grandfather's house, Valjean asks to be allowed a brief visit to his own home, and Javert agrees. After he and Cosette leave, Marius asks ponine to retrieve her address for him. Marius discovers this man is ponine, dressed in men's clothes. I've read it, as have millions of other English speakers, and highly recommend it. Les Misrables (Hapgood Translation) by Victor Hugo, Isabel Florence Hapgood (Translator) 4.4 (7) eBook (Illustrated Unabridged) $2.99 Instant Purchase Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. Published by West and Johnston publishers. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I only have two copies, one of Donougher and Hapgood. It's super lyrical and dramatic, I love every bit of it! He describes another occasion when a bullet shot "pierced a brass shaving-dish suspended over a hairdresser's shop. (I hope I write this post in the right place and do not break the law of this subreddit. If you feel bogged down by the section about the battle of Waterloo (or by any other of Hugos more philosophical explorations), skipin the case of Waterlooto the last chapter in that Book, The Battlefield at Night. That chapter has a key plot element in itplus, Hugo does an amazing job of creating atmosphereso you dont want to miss it. Waterloo, by cutting short the demolition of European thrones by the sword, had no other effect than to cause the revolutionary work to be continued in another direction. I'm reading the Hapgood (1887) translation because it's on Project Gutenberg. London: Everymans Library, 1998. One biographer noted that "the digressions of genius are easily pardoned". 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. Heres three thousand livres for us. I read Charles E. Wilbour's translation but I am not an expert at that aspect of the book. 16 answers. Donougher sits nicely in the middle in my opinion - accessible and conversational style but very true to the original text. 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. Modern English, very readable, well-footnoted. 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. Fahnestock and McAfee is the best unabridged translation, and, along with Denny, often regarded as the best one. Melody I've read the Norman Denny translation and to me he truly grasped the poetry and drama of Victor Hugo's writing. While he and Patron-Minette are about to do so, Marius remembers the scrap of paper that ponine wrote on earlier. Richmond, Virginia, 1863. 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. He complained that the characters were crude stereotypes who all "speak very well but all in the same way". Project Gutenberg. I've been DYING to read it, and finally have the time - so I want the best experience! Rose offers a very lively translation, one that some readers at times find slangy and wilder than Hugos original. Then the Revolution came along, events spiraled, parliamentary families were wiped out, chased away, hunted, scattered. However, a man covers the muzzle of the soldier's gun with his hand. Then he spoke more loudly. It makes it seem modern and real. There are no roads. 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. Valjean loses the will to live and retires to his bed. As I mentioned last time, I've picked up a new translation of Les Misrables, the 2013 Donougher translation. 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? He deemed it an "infantile" effort and brought an end to Hugo's career like "the fall of a god". PREFACE. He feels he can no longer give Valjean up to the authorities but also cannot ignore his duty to the law. He also orders Azelma to punch out a window pane, which she does, resulting in cutting her hand (as Thnardier had hoped). 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." Many readers enjoy Hapgoods translation. Roses translation is the complete opposite and the prose is extremely modern. Stunned, Marius recognizes the fabric as part of his own coat and realizes that it was Valjean who rescued him from the barricade. Read the Great Books with Hardcore Literature: https://www.patreon.com/hardcoreliterature https://open.spotify.com/show/70IZA248yNVkrjqzDNm6Lt (Subscribe to the Hardcore Literature Podcast on iTunes \u0026 Spotify) https://hardcore-university.teachable.com (Hardcore University, Exam Preparation Courses) https://hardcore-literature.creator-spring.com Hardcore Literature Merch https://benjaminmcevoy.com My Personal Website Hardcore Literature Lecture SeriesContents Page: https://cutt.ly/CmNhRY3 Anna Karenina: https://cutt.ly/vmNhAWv Crime and Punishment: https://cutt.ly/rmNhFt5 Persuasion: https://cutt.ly/amNhX7b In Search of Lost Time: https://cutt.ly/5mNh8oD The Heros Journey: https://cutt.ly/UmNjrE3 Siddharta: https://cutt.ly/YmNjuzi Don Quixote: https://cutt.ly/cmNjoK4Shakespeares Sonnets: https://cutt.ly/nmNlW7VHappy reading!Norman Denny 1976 translation: https://amzn.to/3rU1jl3Christine Donougher 2013 translation: https://amzn.to/3fHSHLMCharles E. Wilbour 1862 translation: https://amzn.to/3wt3Iqd Down with the pope! Javert orders her to be quiet, and then reveals to her Valjean's real identity. Unable to cope with this dilemma, Javert commits suicide by throwing himself into the Seine. Spectators call for his release. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original French title. . The informational footnotes from the French edition by Marius-Franois Guyard are useful but far too rare. with the very best personal fishing guides available to Les Ambassadeurs' members across a range of idyllic locations. The slashers have finished; it was the turn of the thinkers. Hes fixed up all his charities. ponine, who is in love with Marius herself, reluctantly agrees to do so. The starting point: matter, destination: the soul. Unexpectedly, a note lands in his lap, which says "Move Out." They feel like digressions, although they really are not. As evidence of police double agents at the barricades, he writes: "The author of this book had in his hands, in 1848, the special report on this subject made to the Prefect of Police in 1832.". Its likely the easiest translation to read as its written more like a contemporary novel, but the language can be quite jarring. His sister got an annuity of five hundred francs, which was enough for her personal expenses, living at the presbytery. 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. Donougher still felt true to the original while also keeping the text accessible. 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. Valjean hides as they search for him, because if apprehended he will be returned to the galleys for life as a repeat offender. Monseigneur hasnt even claimed the money the dpartement owes him for the upkeep of his carriage in town and his rounds in the diocese. Denny has more prose and beautiful language. Yet it may well serve some purpose, if only in the interests of precision, to jot down here the rumors and gossip that had circulated about him the moment he first popped up in the diocese. Explore Now Get Free eBook Sample Buy As Gift LEND ME See Details Overview Vive Les Misrables! In addition to being a terrific translation, it has extensive annotation n the many historical and literary references in the novel. The palace was truly a mansion fit for a lord. [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. Lee Fahnestock/Norman McAfee. Hugo explained his ambitions for the novel to his Italian publisher:[10]. He tells Valjean he realizes he was wrong, because the authorities have identified someone else as the real Jean Valjean, have him in custody, and plan to try him the next day. 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). Translator identified as "A.F." A dandy named Bamatabois harasses Fantine in the street, and she reacts by striking him. When Fantine arrives at Montfermeil, she leaves Cosette in the care of the Thnardiers, a corrupt innkeeper and his selfish, cruel wife. - : Les Miserables : Hugo, Victor: Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Humankind's wounds, those huge sores that litter the world, do not stop at the blue and red lines drawn on maps. 1887 - Isabel Florence Hapgood 1976 - Norman Denny 1987 - Wilbour revised by Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee 2007 - Julie Rose 2013 - Christine Donougher I was wondering what translation or translations you've read of Les Mis and if you enjoyed them? Privacy Policy. After Valjean writes the letter and informs Thnardier of his address, Thnardier sends out Mme. Les Misrables translations. Les Misrables has been popularized through numerous adaptations for film, television and the stage, including a musical. He was also a businessman and was widely noted for his social engagement and philanthropy. He has known only one other man, a convict named Jean Valjean, who could accomplish it. [35] In a newspaper review, Charles Baudelaire praised Hugo's success in focusing public attention on social problems, though he believed that such propaganda was the opposite of art. C. E. Wilbour Translation C. E. Wilbour created the first English translation of Les Miserables in 1863, just one year after the original novel was first published. Thinking Valjean a murderer lugging his victim's corpse, Thnardier offers to open the gate for money. As I was reading it I couldn't stop thinking, "Why do they teach Shakespeare when every single line of Hugo is this deep, poetic, profound truth?". I just enjoyed reading it. Whatever for, in a town with less than four thousand people? Meanwhile, the Thnardiers' monetary demands continue to grow. She also confesses to have obtained the letter the day before, originally not planning to give it to him, but decides to do so in fear he would be angry at her about it in the afterlife. edited 6y. Thnardier decides to kill Valjean. *By "best" I'm meaning easiest to read unabridged version. One critic has called this "the spiritual gateway" to the novel, as its chance encounter of Thnardier and Colonel Pontmercy foreshadows so many of the novel's encounters "blending chance and necessity", a "confrontation of heroism and villainy". 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. 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. The century that Waterloo was intended to arrest has pursued its march. Large sums passed through his hands, but nothing could make him change his style of life in the slightest or get him to embellish his spartan existence by the faintest touch of the superfluous.Far from it. There are eight English translations of Les Miserables, shown below in chronological order. When he spoke, she listened, and when he took action, she was right behind him. 2. He takes her to a hospital. 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. [18] Hugo used Bienvenu de Miollis (17531843), the Bishop of Digne during the time in which Valjean encounters Myriel, as the model for Myriel. My old copy doesn't mention who did the translation, however, it was published by The Copp Co., Ltd. in England. He tries to find a way to save Valjean while not betraying Thnardier. She seemed a mere shadow with scarcely enough of a body to have a gender; just a bit of matter bearing a light, with great big eyes always lowered to the ground, an excuse for a spirit to remain on earth.Madame Magloire was a little old lady, white skinned, plump, round, busy, always wheezing, first because of always bustling about and second because of her asthma.When he first arrived, Monsieur Myriel was set up in his episcopal palace with all the honors required by imperial decree, which ranked bishops immediately after field marshals.10 The mayor and the president of the local council were the first to visit him, and on his side, he made his first visits to the general and the chief of police.Once he had moved in, the town waited to see their bishop on the job.II. [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. Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee, translators. The Best Translation of "Les Miserables"? No one could say; all that was known was that, when he came back from Italy, he was a priest.In 1804,5 Monsieur Myriel was the cur of Brignolles.6 He was already old and lived like a real recluse in profound seclusion.Around the time of the coronation, a small parish matterwho can remember what now?took him to Paris. 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. Les Misrables: If you just want the novel without supplements, get the Signet Classic translation by Lee Fahnestock and norman macAfee, which is a revision of the first translation of Les Mis by Charles Wilbour. At the presbytery his ambitions for the upkeep of his own coat and realizes it... Meant for everyone Valjean 's real identity Get Free eBook Sample Buy as Gift LEND ME See Details Vive... 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