short circuited meme

[caddyman]

This book meme that's going around.

Summary: I have read 13 of them and given up, either permanently or temporarily on a further 5. Of the 5 I've given up on, the one I am certain to revisit is The Count of Monte Cristo as in general, I love Dumas' books, but found that particularly hard going for some reason.

That's enough of that.

Comments

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

I only know one chap who finished The Count of Monte Cristo and that was more out of a sense of bloody-mindedness than anything else, I understand it's a lttle heavy going. : )

[queenortart.livejournal.com]

I think I managed about a chapter and a half before deciding that I quite liked the film and would live with that!

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

Stephen Fry's re-write of it (The Star's Tennis Balls) is certainly easier to get through!

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

I might have to look that one out; I've not heard of it before.

[ellefurtle.livejournal.com]

It has a very nasty scene with hot coals is all I remember of that one!

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

Yes, it pretends to be frothy and funny in a Fry way but has an appropriately nasty streak running through it.

[ysharros.livejournal.com]

I read it in the original French, along with the Three Musketeers and... gah one other one. Oh yeah, "Vignt Ans Apres," or the sequel as they'd say now. My grandparents had lovely old hardback copies of most of the Dumas stuff. Along with croissants, a good side of being French!

I don't remember any of them being turgid, oddly enough, though they strike me that way now. Maybe the translations aren't as good? Hrm... Am going to have to investigate. (Huge can be pretty turgid too, come to think of it, but it's not as bad in French. Maybe English doesn't do turgor quite so well.) :-D

[bluesman.livejournal.com]

Agreed. It was a chore.

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

I think it depends upon the translation. There are some appalling efforts out there; some of them the latest attempts.

It took me ages to find a translation of the five books of the d'Artagnan series (Three Musketeers etc) that I liked and as I recall the version I liked was from the 1930s.

I'll try and remember to look my copy up when I get home. I know they are in the Collin's Pocket Classics series that was published in the UK (hardback books the size and price of pocket paperbacks) some years back. I don't know if those editions are available in the US, but they are highly recommended and much better reads than many more modern (ie 1960s and later) translations.

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

To be fair, most authors will come in a poor second if you are comparing them to Bill the Bard!

Let me look out my editions when I get home tonight so I can give you the details of, what I at least consider to be, a readable translation.