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Re: Translations in general - I.O. Evans in particular

From: Arthur B. Evans <aevans2~at~mail.tds.net>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 23:02:42 -0500
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>

James,

I'm a purist on these matters, so take what I say with a large grain of
salt.

My feeling is that the "Fitzroy Editions" are a travesty of Verne's works.
Better than some no doubt, but still not acceptable.

Let's suppose for a moment that you were a French scholar of Herman
Melville. How would you feel if a French translator chopped out about 1/3
of _Moby-Dick_ in order (supposedly) to make the work more digestible to the
French reading public? And let's say, just for argument's sake, that this
version of Melville's novel was the ONLY one available in that language?

You'd probably be very grateful that this work had been translated at all in
France. On the other hand, if you had read the original, you'd also
probably feel robbed and outraged. And you'd feel sorry for all those
French folks who never had a chance to read the "real thing."

I'm not saying that Verne=Melville, and I'm not implying that those I.O.
Evans translations which constitute the only English-language translations
available of certain Verne novels=_Moby-Dick_. But I think you get my
point.

By the way, here's an excerpt of what I.O. Evans said about his own
translations of Verne. It was published in the _Bulletin de la Société
Jules Verne_ back in 1968. (Zvi, if you're interested, I can send you the
full article--but I'm not sure about the copyright questions...)

   I have been chided for not publishing an unabridged version of Verne’s
work and for having, in fact, subjected it to editorial cuts that were too
extensive. I will only say that, if I had published it in its entirety, I
would have risked discouraging the reader. Even during Verne’s time,
certain parts of his narratives must have been considered off-putting. And
the contemporary public, partly as a result of radio and television, no
longer has the patience to assimilate long passages of geographical
information, many of which are outdated. Instead, I tried to remain
faithful to the spirit of Verne, presenting him in a manner that would
please today’s readers. And the fact that these corrected versions now
number 60 volumes shows that I was not mistaken. Stripped of their
excessively long passages, Verne’s stories take on a new life. They are
more interesting than one might imagine, compared to their originals.
   Jules Verne believed strongly in Providence, and I think that he himself
would judge that I have been guided in my work by providential inspiration.
(“Jules Verne et le lecteur anglais,” _Bulletin de la Société JulesVerne_ 6
[1968]:3-6).

Needless to say, I disagree with this last statement. Verne is probably
rolling over in his grave.....

Sorry this message is so long. But you struck a nerve....

Best,
Art (not the same) Evans
Received on Thu 03 Feb 2000 - 06:00:59 IST

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