Why are there two french versions of the les miserables. When you read a book, especially a book like les miserables, which is classed an as epic drama, you dont just want to know the story, you want to experience it. Les miserables 1995 claude lelouchs 1995 film is more an adaptation of hugos tale, rather than a filmed version of it. This blog gives an illiterate account of victor hugos intent. Jan 16, 20 les miserables was inspired in part by the true story of eugenefrancois vidocq, who turned a criminal career into an anticrime industry. Ive been obsessed with les miserables the musical for something like eighteen years now hey, almost as long as valjean was imprisoned. Which is the best english translation of les miserables. I had described the show and she had seen the 10th and 25th anniver. This edition is the classic english translation of hugos friend charles wilbour, which appeared the same year the novel was published in france. Les miserables, five volumes, complete by victor hugo.
Gillenormand, by threatening to disinherit marius, has forced georges. Les lits, reprit le directeur, sont bien serres les uns contre les autres. Marius is a seventeenyearold who lives with his grandfather, m. After its great success, hollywood has now decided to take on the difficult task to bring this beloved play to the big screen. Thats right, all 264, or about, other chapters reference the french revolution or a time prior to 1932. The stage version of les mis is usually performed on an abstract unit set and the libretto is full of what i like to call theatrical suspension of disbelief, or tsod. How does les miserables the musical differ from the book. My favorite translation was the first one i read, in college, when i didnt realize there were translations by different people, so i didnt know to write down the author. Born in 1802, the son of a high officer in napoleons army, victor hugo spent his childhood against a background of military life in elba, corsica, naples, and madrid. Les miserables is a novel by victor hugo that was first published in 1862. Three english translations of victor hugos les miserables offer slightly different takes on one character. Currently, about 7,000 languages are spoken around the world. I simply wish for excerpts in the original french, then a comparison of. Because the story takes place in paris, involves the misery of the parisian underclass, and comes to a climax during a battle, many people assume that the story is set during the french revolution.
The synth arrangements create a unique, almost aggressive, but wonderful soundscape that brings les mis out of the 19th century and makes it sound surprisingly modern. The literal meaning of les miserables is the miserable ones. They belong to different language families and their origins date back. May 04, 2017 i recently started reading les miserables. The original les mis musical first premiered in paris in 1980, and in 1985 the englishlanguage version opened in london, produced by cameron mackintosh and with lyrics created by herbert kretzmer its clear to see from the examples here that the lyrics. Alison lurie some of us may have read les miserables back in the day, but between gopnik and rose, youll get two introductions that will offer you all the pleasures of your college instruction with none of the pain. After the napoleonic defeat, the hugo family settled in straitened circumstances in paris, where, at the age of fifteen, victor hugo commenced his literary career with a poem submitted to a contest sponsored by the academie.
It covers french history, society, politics and even architecture, and at the same time deals with universal themes of injustice, love in its many forms, the quest for redemption and even the evolution of a mans soul. How does les miserables 25th anniversary production. Les miserables is the musical adaptation of victor hugos classic 1862 epic novel and tells the story of an exconvict named jean valjean discovering, through interactions with several characters throughout his life, a path to redemption. Heres a rough literal translation of the two french versions that i. Les miserables follows the life of one man in prerevolutionary france as he struggles to be free of his pastand transforms many lives through the power of grace. I would prefer a translation that is actually readable. Les miserables is a wonderful book its a sacrilege to cut it down. However, ive decided to make it my new years resolution that i was going to get it off amazon and read it. There are literally hundreds of differences between les mis le book, les mis le musical and les mis le movie, some of them small, some of them major, but if i was to point out every single one as i, in fact, have the capacity and desire to do, wed be here all day, so im going to point out five that struck me the most. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. 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.
In the novel, he is of roma gypsy background, though this isnt acknowledged in the musical. He explores the universal themes of the book and the pertinence of hugos message to our history, here applying them to the french experience of. If youre a les mis lover, you will notice several differences. The french title les miserables is translated into english as the miserable ones, the victims or the poor ones. Les miserables sold out its large first printing in twentyfour hours and has remained enormously popular. In my opinion, the stage musical does an amazingly accurate job telling the core story of the novel. On film, with wolverine and maximus squaring off, more action was almost inevitable. Les miserables tells the fictional story of jean valjean, a man who has unjustly been condemned to nearly two decades of prison for stealing a loaf of bread to save a starving child.
I have seen at least three different film versions of les miserables and i have to say that tom hoopers version stays with me the longest and best, while at the same time recognizing that i will always think of gerard depardieux as jean valjean. I researched translations and couldnt find one that stood out, so i figured id just try the old original standard translation from the 19th century, the wilbour translation. Overall the movie was good, there were a few places where the accents were off, sounded more like oliver or nicholas nickleby, an english accent more than french. Best english translations of victor hugos les miserables owlcation.
Isabella florence hapgood translated les miserables in 1887, and this. Jan 25, 20 for more than 25 years, les miserables has swept the world with its tear jerking songs and heartbreaking story. Victor hugos acclaimed novel attracted international attention even before it was published in 1862. Les miserables is a 1935 american drama film starring fredric march and charles laughton based upon the 1862 victor hugo novel of the same name. Whether youre aiming to speak with a true french accent or just trying to get through the word without embarrassing yourself, youre in luck its not hard to pronounce once you get the. We promise you will see extraordinary quality and attention to detail on every page and enjoy these features. May 28, 2019 les miserables, one of the most popular musicals of all time, is based on a novel of the same name by french author victor hugo. He explores the universal themes of the book and the pertinence of hugos message to our history, here applying them to the french experience of nazi occupation during the second world war. Marius in the musical is gentle, kind and friendly. In les miserables, we can see how much he had matured as a writer in the thirty years since he had penned his famous melodrama. The first was by a contemporary and friend of hugo in 1862. Jun 23, 2019 before we jump into their differences, heres a little background history into why there are two versions a little background history.
Feb 07, 2018 there are literally hundreds of differences between les mis le book, les mis le musical and les mis le movie, some of them small, some of them major, but if i was to point out every single one as i, in fact, have the capacity and desire to do, wed be here all day, so im going to point out five that struck me the most. So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny. I was just trying to buy a digital copy of the denny translation. My wife and i have been reading les miserables aloud together. I first started with the abridged and felt like something was differentdont know what translation that was. The first translation i read was norman dennys 1976.
Its like a readers digest condensed version of the bible. You want to understand each character, with all their different idiosyncrasies, and how they choose to express themselves is a big part of that. Gustave flaubert, madame bovary, translated by lydia davis new york. Reading les miserables digitally and matching translations. Nov 22, 2008 when julie rose took on victor hugos les miserables, two previous english translations dominated bookstore shelves. For more than 25 years, les miserables has swept the world with its tear jerking songs and heartbreaking story. It is only after book ten of the fourth volume do we get to june 5th 1832. The characters have little depth, and the narrators views on life and love are sometimes charming in their naivete. The poverty, indignity, and hopelessness of that ages poor are conveyed in all their tragedy and brutality. With hugh jackman, russell crowe, anne hathaway, amanda seyfried. This translation is probably best suited for the more visually inclined, since it is widely known for including illustrations to go along with the novels story. Comparing three translations of les miserables gently. Set in the parisian underworld and plotted like a detective story, the work follows the fortunes of the convict jean valjean, a victim of society who has been imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread.
Ever since i first read the essay whats the difference. Les miserables, novel by victor hugo, published in french in 1862. Comparing three translations of les miserables gently hew stone. The kindle movie tiein edition of les miserables happens to match the version i m reading. Dec 27, 2012 if youre a les mis lover, you will notice several differences. In 19thcentury france, jean valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory workers daughter. It was an instant popular success and was quickly translated into several languages. Les miserables, in english translation by victor hugo nook. The characters are french and the book is centered around their lives.
Every language is unique, with its own words, phrases, syntax, sayings, and other aspects. Miserables petits classiques larousse french edition. Les miserables sandie angulo chen 12252012 director tom hoopers film adaptation of les miserables is remarkably faithful to the stage production. A lively, dramatic, and wonderfully readable translation of one of the greatest 19thcentury novels. This famous musical has been produced in 40 countries and been interpreted into 21 different languages. Now that the les mis film has finally been released, i have more material to write about than i ever dreamed i would. Les miserables is the latest musical adaptation to hit the theaters, but it is hardly the first. The french novel in translation in historical context. Last week, i watched les miserables on stage for the first time ever. Best translations of les miserables by victor hugo. English speakers have had trouble pronouncing les miserables long before the famous musical debuted. The show features music composed by claudemichel schonberg, original french lyrics by alain boublil, and. Wilbour created the first english translation of les miserables in 1863.
I really was disappointed with the show, i took my girlfriend to see it for her first time and it happened to be the 25th. Two times on amazon i found a denny translation, but when i clicked on the ebook or the kindle version, the link took me to a nondenny translation. In a nearby town, georges pontmercy, marius father, a hero of the napoleonic wars, lives in retirement. Michelle knott, my wife and also a csli fellow, describes our fulfilling and often hilarious hospitality ministry to people from around the world. She knew all of the music, because i listen to it often.
Les miserables translations folio society devotees. See a complete list of the characters in les miserables and indepth analyses of jean valjean, cosette, javert, marius pontmercy, and fantine. As i stated in another thread, ive read 3 different translations of the novel, two of which are unabridged. We earnestly believe this to be the finest electronic edition of hugos masterpiece ever published at any price. It was written and directed by raymond bernard and stars harry baur as jean valjean and charles vanel as javert. The novels title is a microcosm of thisthe reason the english translation retains the french title is because english fails to convey the frenchs. Javert, armed with a nightstick, corners valjean behind fantines bed and the two sing in semifrozen tension. Les miserables tells the fictional story of jean valjean, a man who has unjustly been condemned to nearly two decades of prison for stealing a. There are literally hundreds of differences between les mis le book, les mis le musical and les mis le movie, some of them small, some of them major, but if i was to point out every single one as i, in fact, have the capacity and desire to do, wed be here all day.
Les miserables hapgood translation by victor hugo nook. Published in 1862, the book referenced what were already historic events. So now im relistening to the original broadway cast recording, the csr, and various footware of old les mis with a newlytuned ear. I have been searching for that, or a similar, translation since. Les miserables i has alot more signatures in it i will list a few of them mabiel dunn 24chubby frances folts 24fransie dorothy tripp 24dot inez david 24 tapper paula cody 24 lestereta teresa mcdonald 24 bill opal birk 24 orphia i am not sure if the 24 after every name is for the year and the name after the 24 is maybe the character. Set in 1815, it follows the struggles of many characters, most notably, jean valjean. When julie rose took on victor hugos les miserables, two previous english translations dominated bookstore shelves. He created the bureau des renseignements, said to be. Details that feel convincing in a stage context, but are actually far from realistic. I love the abridged book les miserables and have read it a few times, each a different translation.
Whats the difference between the movie and the book version of les miserables. In the novel eponine is a secondary character, and shes also jealous. Before we jump into their differences, heres a little background history into why there are two versions a little background history. Pronunciation of les miserables with 2 audio pronunciations, 5 translations, 9 sentences and more for les miserables. Les miserables, in english translation by victor hugo. I am looking for the best translation of these three works. Why are there two french versions of the les miserables musical. Isabella florence hapgood translated les miserables in 1887, and this translation is similar to wilbours in that the language used is a little more oldfashioned and fit for the time period les miserables was written. However, several alternatives have been used, including the miserables. Best translations of les miserables by victor hugo, petersburg by andrei bely, and arthur rimbauds complete works. I know the various translations of les miserables were mentioned before on the thread about folios le of les mis, but the discussion focused more on whether an abridged translation was acceptable for an le.
The film lasts four and a half hours and is considered by critics to be the greatest adaptation of the novel, due to its more indepth development of the themes and characters, in comparison with most. Best english translations of victor hugos les miserables. The official website for the stage production of les miserables. This was the last film for twentieth century pictures before it merged with fox film corporation to form 20th century fox. One of my favourite musical films is the 1956 the king and i, with the late yul brynner and late deborah kerr in the lead roles. What is the significance of the title les miserables. Hugo now turns to another leading character, marius. Javert now has a sword, valjean breaks a wooden beam from the roof, and the scene becomes an epic duel. The passages i was most curious about are completely left out of this version. The original les mis musical first premiered in paris in 1980, and in 1985 the englishlanguage version opened in london, produced by cameron mackintosh and with lyrics created by herbert kretzmer. Im up to part iii andno surpriseits amazing so far. Les miserables is an uncomfortable look at the dark places of hugos world.