• In total there are 4 users online :: 0 registered, 0 hidden and 4 guests (based on users active over the past 60 minutes)
    Most users ever online was 758 on Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:50 am

New Translation of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal

Authors are invited and encouraged to present their FICTION books solely within this forum.
John Tidball
Official Newbie!
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 6:21 am
9
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 1 time

New Translation of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal

Unread post

I have spent the past six months translating Baudelaire's seminal work Les Fleurs du Mal, which I have recently published.

I take the view that literary translation, especially of poetry, is an art, or at least it can be. I believe that works of translation should be judged on their artistic merit, and not simply as someone else's work rendered into another language.

My approach here was to try to imagine what Baudelaire might have written had he been an English poet, rather than a French one. I therefore followed the original meter and rhyme schemes, something that has rarely been achieved in the many translations over the past century. Many translators have used the iambic pentameter and/or non-rhyming verse, instead of observing Baudelaire's meticulous syllable count and rhyme schemes.

All comments would be most welcome.

http://www.amazon.com/Flowers-Evil-Char ... 3C?ie=UTF8
User avatar
DWill

1H - GOLD CONTRIBUTOR
BookTalk.org Hall of Fame
Posts: 6966
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:05 am
16
Location: Luray, Virginia
Has thanked: 2262 times
Been thanked: 2470 times

Re: New Translation of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal

Unread post

Congratulations. I've recently begun studying French again after many years lapse. Can't imagine, really, how one can gain so intimate a knowledge of literature in another language as to render equivalents in a different language. This must be especially difficult with poetry, although dialogue would pose a big challenge, too. We had for a time a pretty good poetry discussion on BT. Getting it going again with Baudelaire's work is an intriguing idea.

I like to see the poems in the original language printed on the facing page, but publishers don't seem to do this very often.
John Tidball
Official Newbie!
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 6:21 am
9
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: New Translation of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal

Unread post

I decided against the facing page translations, but I might do a new edition like that when I have time.
Post Reply

Return to “Authors: Tell us about your FICTION book!”