NP-Proust

[Paul Mackin]

On 9/24/2012 12:19 PM, Phillip Greenlief wrote:
> the modern library edition was the one i read (and thoroughly enjoyed).
>
> it's a marvellous structure - populated with more and more thoughts 
> that open like a chinese box. one thing leads miraculously to another. 
> that whole opening sequence in the overature is a glimpse of what is 
> to come - have re-read that passage numerous times. so good. can't say 
> which volume i liked best ... within a budding grove, or maybe the 
> past regained ... such beautiful prose - thorny innits own right, but 
> almost sensuous prose ... the writing itself, not the subject, 
> although there is obviously a great deal of deconstructing desire 
> going on.
>
> i've always thought of reading it again and read some good things 
> about that new translation that came out 2-3 years ago ... can't 
> remember the name of the translator.

There was a different one for each book.

P
>
> it took over a year to get through it ... in comparison, it took two 
> years to read finnegans wake the first time i read that ... i've read 
> a few more times, which took far less time in successive readings.
>
> sent from phillip's iPhone
>
> On Sep 24, 2012, at 8:03 AM, Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at verizon.net 
> <mailto:mackin.paul at verizon.net>> wrote:
>
>> On 9/23/2012 9:43 PM, Mark Sacha wrote:
>>> Shelled out for a revised Enright translation recently... not having 
>>> done any research beforehand, and possibly lazily assuming the 
>>> Modern Library edition would be sufficient. Hope I won't be missing 
>>> anything.
>>
>> That's the one i used last time through.  Important revisions 
>> including relocating some material from one book to another. Also a 
>> better translation of the title had been adopted.
>>
>> P
>>>
>>> On Sun, Sep 23, 2012 at 9:09 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com 
>>> <mailto:fqmorris at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>>     Wow, Bekah, Proust I've not read past two pages.  Slow, no?
>>>     Maybe Western Zen? I wouldn't know...
>>>     But I doN't want to sound like a redneck!
>>>
>>>
>>>     On Sunday, September 23, 2012, Bekah wrote:
>>>
>>>         I'm not sure it matters -   I've read the volumes in
>>>         different translations (LOL!)
>>>
>>>         The reason is that I already had Swann's Way on the shelf in
>>>         the old Scott Montcrieff translation but when I went to get
>>>         the next three they were available in the new Penguin
>>>         translations by James Grieve,  Mark Trehane,  John Sturrock.
>>>          But the last 2 volumes had not been translated for that
>>>         series so I went back to the Scott Montrcrieff.
>>>
>>>         **** THIS IS A REVIEW BY AN AMAZON READER **** (but I agree
>>>         with it):
>>>
>>>         Just as a general note with Proust translations, compare
>>>         them in a bookstore before you buy any of them.
>>>
>>>         There is the original C.K. Scott Moncrieff translation,
>>>         which is beautiful, though based on a flawed edition put
>>>         together shortly after Proust's death (especially the later
>>>         books in the set).
>>>
>>>         Then there is Terrence Kilmartin's revision, which is based
>>>         on a much better French edition. You can still find editions
>>>         of this used, and occasionally new as well. I prefer this
>>>         one, as Kilmartin didn't change most of the truly beautiful
>>>         language that Moncrieff rendered except in a few places to
>>>         clarify confusing sentences.
>>>
>>>         D.J. Enright, who worked with Kilmartin, made further
>>>         revisions after the latter's death, whose work (so he says)
>>>         was incomplete. His reworking is based on yet an even newer
>>>         edition of the French text, though with fewer changes than
>>>         the previous French edition had from the original. I feel
>>>         that Enright modernized the language too much. He claims
>>>         French hasn't changed much as a language compared to English
>>>         since the early 20th Century, so to approximate how it would
>>>         read to a French person today, it needs to be put into more
>>>         comtemporary language. I don't care for it personally.
>>>
>>>         I've read some of these other, altogether new translations,
>>>         which is a good effort considering the potential for
>>>         incoherence you might have reading a revision of a revision
>>>         of a translation (whew!). They're not bad, but nowhere near
>>>         as much of a "new standard" as, say, the Pevear-Volokhonsky
>>>         translations of Dostoevsky, which give the reader a clearer
>>>         original while still using beautiful and idiomatic English.
>>>
>>>         But back to Proust. Decide for yourself! Compare an old
>>>         version of Moncrieff's translation to his revisors, and then
>>>         check out these new ones published by Penguin.
>>>
>>>         And better yet, if you understand French at all, look at a
>>>         French copy and just absorb the rhythm, the flow of the
>>>         words, and find a translation that feels the same.
>>>
>>>         I can't tell you how many times I've spoken to people who
>>>         hated foreign books in translation, only to find out they
>>>         read a translation that reads like a textbook and not like
>>>         something that was meant to be enjoyed!!
>>>
>>>         **********************************
>>>
>>>         Me again:
>>>
>>>         Bottom line, imo  -  if you're a new reader and not used to
>>>         the old Montcrieff or Enright or something,  go with the
>>>         newer Penguin Classics translations (2005).  If you've
>>>         already started one of the old translations,  try the new
>>>         version and see how you like it -  if not - go with what you
>>>         like.
>>>
>>>         Try them out in some bookstore or sample you find online.
>>>
>>>         The Penguin translations are NOT done by the same person all
>>>         the way through.  This means they're not all smooth like the
>>>         Moncrieff/Kilmartin/ Enright ones. Each book reads a bit
>>>         differently, style-wise.
>>>
>>>         Bekah
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>         On Sep 23, 2012, at 12:24 AM, Rich Clavey
>>>         <antizoyd at yahoo.com <mailto:antizoyd at yahoo.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>>         > Any opinions as to which English translation of Proust to
>>>         read?
>>>         > Thanks
>>>         > rich
>>>         >
>>>         > http://www.macclaveyphotography.com/
>>>
>>>
>>

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