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S U N D AY, S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 0 7The Most Cliched Line In HistoryI just finished reading a new translation of Alexandre Dumas' TheThree Musketeers. Richard Pevear did the honors (he and his wife(?)have done a number of Russian translations over the years) and it'stremendous fun. If I read the book as a kid (and I might have) it waslong forgotten. This time I enjoyed it tremendously. The 70s filmversion is easily the most enjoyable spin on the tale but the novelshouldn't be missed. I only hope he takes the time to tackle the otherMusketeer books, including 20 Years On and The Vicomte deBragalonne (usually printed in three volumes with that title, Louise dela Valliere and The Man In The Iron Mask). Now I feel myself gettingon a Dumas kick and I'm eager to tackle one of his serialized tales thatwas just published in English for the first time: The Last Cavalier.And I say all of this just to applaud a cheeky moment by Pevear in hisnew translation. It's page 650 of the paperback edition, chapter 65: TheJudgment. Pevear's translation begins: "It was a dark and stormynight." He must have giggled when including that. I wondered if thatwas the origin of the cliche and went to the bookstore to look up twoother translations of the book. They used words like tempestuous,though only a French person could tell me if they were avoiding thecliched phrase or whether Pevear just decided it was an apt one to use.Did Dumas coin that deathless line? And did he get a writing credit forthe movie "Throw Momma From The Train"? I wonder.POSTSCRIPT: You gotta love the internet. I looked up Richard Pevear,who is teaching at a university in Paris and sent him an email:Dear Mr. Pevear,I just finished your delightful translation of "The Three Musketeers,"which must have been an enjoyable diversion after the Russians. Is ittoo much to hope you will tackle the other Musketeer novels, ie. TwentyYears After (surely "Later" would be more felicitious), and the multi-volume Vicomte de Bragelonne?But I especially wanted to share my amusement over your one decision:in the paperback American edition, page 650, the first line of ChapterNext Blog»sal1mineo@hotmail.comSEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOGFOLLOW BLOGP O P S U R F I N G . C O MS U R F I N G T H E WAV E S O F P O P U L A R C U LT U R EB Y M I C H A E L G I LT Z & F R I E N D SPOPSURFING.COM: The Most Cliched Line In Historyhttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2007/09/most-cliched-line-in-his...
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