The Count of Monte Cristo will not disappoint you. Enthusiast . I know some people complain about its relative modernity, but that only makes it more readable in my opinion. Jean Valjean was a fascinating study in mercy and redemption! Furthermore, it has by far the best endnotes, with explanations of basically every little reference in the story. Also, some of his long diatribes were not very interesting, like the one on the sewers and the nunnery. This article talks more about different translations: [Best translations of Les Mis] (https://owlcation.com/humanities/Best-Translations-of-Victor-Hugos-Les-Miserables), New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the suggestmeabook community. They are very different beasts (and I think the novel is superior), The play is about Valjean; the book is about France. I love the music and the story equally. The last lines of the book are the best ending lines in literature in my opinion. I'm reading the Hapgood (1887) translation because it's on Project Gutenberg. Just finished up a couple weeks ago. I’m a little over 1000 pages in. I’d like something that flows well in English, but doesn’t stray too far from the original meaning. The only complaints I have about this book are that the translation I read used the words "penetrate" and "ejaculated" (instead of like, exclaimed) far too often for my comfort, and the love story between Marius and Cosette was... like, not great. Víctor Hugo had a way (a very long and wordy way) of describing things so accurately as to how they actually are. Christine Donougher. The only problem I had with the Donougher was the decision to go with an english title. It is set during the July Revolution which happened years after the French Revolution during the Bourbon monarchy which was installed post Napoleonic wars. I don’t mind this toooo much, just because I’m allowing everything to kind of wash over me, which has actually been a nice experience. My wife and I have been reading Les Miserables aloud together; she on her Kindle and me from an old paperback copy I've had for years. I am thinking about tackling the Count of Monte Cristo next. I loved every second I had studying their lives. Little did I know, I was reading something more along the lines of a more contained War and Peace, wherein Hugo takes a slice of life of a family and uses it to explain the culture and life of people of all classes in the era of revolution in France. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Which version of Les Miserables is best … Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Would love to hear your thoughts. I feel that I am relatively unique in this day and age in that I did not know very much about Les Mis- I had only made a very very cursory listen to the soundtrack to the movie, had no real idea of the story and had never seen the play. I can't find my exact copy on amazon, but I'm fairly certain I went off of reviews and picked the best. 5.0 out of 5 stars The best translation of Les Misérables. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. As I mentioned last time, I’ve picked up a new translation of Les Misérables, the 2013 Donougher translation. Welcome to /r/literature, a community for deeper discussions of plays, poetry, short stories, and novels. I read Donougher’s and I really enjoyed it. The entirety of the part about the Bishop was so beautiful. I haven't read it (or any version of Les Miserables yet). I would venture to say that there are better translations than yours just because it is so old. Tell us what you've enjoyed in the past, or what you're looking for, and let the community suggest a book (or books) for you to read! I would prefer a translation that is actually readable. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Javert was one of the greatest and most memorable literary characters I had ever seen! New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the lesmiserables community. Has anyone read a different translated version of Les Miserables they particularly liked? I’m reading Fahnestock/McAfee and it’s... pretty good. The cover looks exactly like this but it has "Complete and unabridged" printed on the cover as well. Press J to jump to the feed. However, I really enjoyed the slang and revolutionary ones. The cultural aspects, like giving way too much information on the sewer system of Paris and stuff like that, was really boring and I had to power through at times though. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. Press J to jump to the feed. The endnotes were extensive as well and overall the language is beautiful. My first impressions: Christine Donougher’s translation reads very smoothly. I have read the Fahnestock and McAfee translation as well as the Denny translation, and read a bit of the Rose translation. And I think that the portrayal of Valjean’s inner turmoil when deciding to testify or not is the absolute greatest written explanation of that feeling of teetering between two extremes, but already knowing deep down what you’re going to do. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The musical and movies understandably emphasize the characters' stories; the book makes the city as much of a character as anyone else, and locates much if not more of the drama in the ideas at stake. I thought the Fahnestock/McAfee translation was really really good, but ended up liking the Denny translation marginally better. I'm not a huge fan of this one (because some of my favorite lines just aren't as pretty here as in other translations) but it is apparently pretty close to the original text. The main story with Javier, Jean Valjean and Marius was incredibly interesting and a pleasure to read. All I knew was that it was a big book on the French Revolution. How modernized is the language in Donougher's translation? It is by far my favorite Broadway show. All I knew was that it was a big book on the French Revolution. Yes, the night is dark. I know the various translations of Les Miserables were mentioned before on the thread about Folio's LE of Les Mis, ... Of all of them I enjoyed the Wilbour and the Lee Fahnestock and Norman MacAfee translations the best. I personally really like Isabella Hapgood’s translation. I'd seen (and loved) the film before reading, and I really enjoyed the book, a couple of the detours aside. Jean Valjean is dead. It enhances some bits. I absolutely love Les Miserables. I didn't much care for the Rose translation, but it wasn't bad by any means. What is the best English translation of the Brick? I am sure that most people reading this review will already be familiar with the story of Les Misérables. I’m looking for an unabridged English translation of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Thankfully, that has now been rectified, since the original title is being restored for the Penguin Deluxe paperback edition in February. As it happens, there is actually one song. I'm reading the Hapgood (1887) translation because it's on Project Gutenberg. So, I’ve been looking into reading the Brick for myself for quite a while now; yes, I’m fully aware that the entirety of Les Misérables is available online, but I wound much rather have a concrete, physical copy on my shelf to pick up and look at :) I am looking for the best translation of these three works. I'm currently making my way through the novel, but I've been a fan of the various film and stage adaptations for many years. I'm curious how someone who has seen the play / movie reacts to the book. I have the Charles E. Wilbour translation already but I would be willing to spend to get a different one. I advocate Julie Rose. It should be quite affordable and easy to find. Something to celebrate the refurbishment of Notre Dame catherdral, maybe a story about a hunchbacked bro working on it hmm, He's too busy organising seances where he talks to french-speaking comets and Shakespeare (yup, happened). It avoids the jarring modernism of Rose's translation and, as far as I can tell, remains true to the original. Karma: 10. Anything but Julie Rose- the modern tone makes it feel less authentic. Press J to jump to the feed. I’m at the point where Valjean is about to steal the silver (spoilers!). Hello! I feel like this translation is true to the original French (I compared a few passages with my limited French language skills), but (from what I've heard) slightly less archaic than Wilbour's and Wraxall's, which were both published in 1862. The newer translations are: Denny's (1976), Fahnestock and McAfee's (1987), Rose's (2007), and Donougher's (2013). None of the other versions can mimic or do justice to the longer descriptive and historical passages that create, over time, the book's philosophical and thematic foundations. I am so so so glad I decided I was going to read it, and would encourage everyone to do so. Join our MobileRead Facebook Fan Page! And Cosette, too. I definitely understand mispelling names in a movie you watched, but in a book where those names are written hundreds of times ? Really enhances that. (Not to mention that the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition is beautiful.) I found one of these copies yesterday at a Saver’s for $2. Obviously, you have to be okay with that longwinded War and Peace style, but if you're up for that, I think you'd enjoy getting to learn a lot (like, a lot) more about these characters, their lives, and the society they lived in. The history of the book is fantastic, it isn't however set during the French Revolution. I've been reading Les Misérables (aka "The Brick") since the beginning of this month and I'm really enjoying it so far, 900 pages in. Each and every character had such life and vibrancy. And, if you've read multiple translations, what differences are there and which one is your favorite? The Fantine section of the book alone had enough drama and heart break to fill an entire novel! Best Translations of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Petersburg by Andrei Bely, and Arthur Rimbaud's complete works? I genuinely loved the story though. As for whether it is a decent version or not, I can't tell you. Did you ever feel like you had to power through it? I've read different translations in English and Spanish and the Fahnestock seemed to flow the best. It took me a little over 3 weeks. The prose on architecture and life in Paris is probably one of the best parts of the book for me. I just finished Les Miserables, and wow. What a journey. You should definitely give it a shot. I know the Rose translation is the most modern, and I've seen some praise of it online. "The night was starless and very dark. Without doubt, in the gloom some mighty angel was standing, with outstretched wings, awaiting the soul.". 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. What are your thoughts on the book? Instead of making the easy metaphor of God's light and starlight he changes the mood. At first we just downloaded one of the cheapest unabridged kindle editions we could find (the Xist Classics edition) which turned out to be the Hapgood translation, while my paperback copy was the Fahnestock/MacAfee translation.

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