Proust

[chickenfeet]

Assuming I were to actually do something about my twenty year old decision to read In Search of Lost Time (Prompted this time by atpotch), is there a particular edition or translation I should look out for, or, conversely, one to avoid? I don't really feel up to reading it in French.

Comments

[cassandre.livejournal.com]

Ha. I keep meaning to read all of Proust, too. In French. Before I die. Sadly, I have begun the attempt multiple times, and have never made it past Book 1.

I haven't read any of the English translations myself, but am aware, via hearsay, that there are two. One was done by Moncrieff in the early part of the 20th c. (shortly after the works were published,I think). Moncrieff didn't have access to an entirely accurate version of the French text, but two editors have come along since and revised Moncrieff's original translation, to make it more faithful. His translation (though obviously a bit old now) is famous and much admired.

However, a new translation came out just this year. Lydia Davis, herself a serious fiction writer, translated volume one, and her version received a lot of acclaim. (In fact, that's why I know something about translations of Proust - I read a review.) Davis only translated vol. 1, though; the five other volumes were translated by five other people. The whole set is now available in the U.K. (through Penguin), but I don't think it's out in the U.S. yet. And I have no idea about Canada.

So there is something to be said for both of these translations. If I were reading Proust in English myself, I would probably go for the very recent one (at least for Swann's Way), but I suppose there is also something to be said for sticking with the same translator across all the volumes.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Yes, the new one is available in Canada in a reasonably inexpensive HC edition. There are umpteen paperback versions of the Moncrieff. Having read a few reviews now I'm inclining to the new one.

[lemur-catta.livejournal.com]

Hey I really want to read that too. We should read it together. I know it was much more fun going through Ulysses in a group. Some books are hard going without company.

Well, since it's my fault ;-)

[atpotch.livejournal.com]

I don't know if the same versions as about in Canada as here in Britain, but I read mostly the Enright revision of the Moncrieff/Kilmartin tranlsation, diverted quickly onto the new (2000-ish?) Penguin translation for the second volume, where I couldn't find the other. I think ideally it's best to stay with the same translation, but it's probably not a life or death matter.

Best of luck!

TCH

[valrhona.livejournal.com]

Book club! Over brunch!