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Oct 26, 2017rpavlacic rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
It's been argued that, more than "A Tale of Two Cities" or "War and Peace," "Les Misérables" best defines the 19th century. This is an argument that could go on ad infinitum, but having read this book it is definitely a masterpiece. Among the multiple characters, storylines and a lengthy time period in setting - roughly 1815 to 1833 - the story is essentially built around four characters: Jean Valjean, who is on parole after a brutal 19 years in prison for petty theft,; Cosette, the young girl he takes in and raises as his own daughter; Marius, who is smitten by Cosette and will do anything to marry her; and Javert, the policeman who is looking for any excuse to put Valjean back in jail. The translation in the book I read is the most recent, by Christine Donougher and published by Penguin Classics. It is almost flawless in its presentation and captures well what is often very difficult French. Besides the more than 100 pages of endnotes explaining words and concepts, the translation is distinguished by three bullet points. First, working on the "tu" versus "vous" means of addressing someone, Donougher notes when someone who should be addressed formally with "vous" is addressed in condescension with "tu" - and the reverse when the subject is an ordinary person and is treated with more respect than warranted. Second, where regional dialects appear in the original text, she preserves it intact, then uses a footnote to rewrite it in standard French along with the translation into English. And third, in referring to the hated French penal system known as "le bagne," she uses the term "prison hulks" to capture just how fearsome the regime was - and why Valjean, in this case, was so determined not to go back to jail. A wonderful book, an excellent translation. This is the interpretation I would recommend.