10,115
edits
The Mailer Review/Volume 13, 2019/Mailer in Translation: The Naked and the Dead: Difference between revisions
The Mailer Review/Volume 13, 2019/Mailer in Translation: The Naked and the Dead (view source)
Revision as of 10:40, 2 March 2021
, 2 March 2021Reverted edits by TBeard (talk) to last revision by Grlucas
(grammatical and punctuational errors) |
Tag: Rollback |
||
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
At that time, Mailer was on the threshold of fame, and Malaquais was an established “French” intellectual. The expatriate, Polish born Malaquais (''né'' Wladimir Jan Pavel Malacki), had settled in France after a long period of wandering in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. A ''flâneur'' before the fact, he presented himself as a kind of intellectual vagabond: “Morally and intellectually I was a tramp, a companion of the dispossessed.”{{sfn|Lennon|2013|p=100}} Such a self-assessment certainly would have appealed to the anti-establishment Mailer, as it had to the French intellectual community. Fifteen years Mailer’s senior, Malaquais had learned much the hard way. Mailer, uncharacteristically self-effacing, remarked that “Malaquais had more influence on my mind than anyone I ever knew from the time we had gotten well acquainted while he was translating ''The Naked and the Dead''.”{{sfn|Lennon|2013|p=101}} | At that time, Mailer was on the threshold of fame, and Malaquais was an established “French” intellectual. The expatriate, Polish born Malaquais (''né'' Wladimir Jan Pavel Malacki), had settled in France after a long period of wandering in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. A ''flâneur'' before the fact, he presented himself as a kind of intellectual vagabond: “Morally and intellectually I was a tramp, a companion of the dispossessed.”{{sfn|Lennon|2013|p=100}} Such a self-assessment certainly would have appealed to the anti-establishment Mailer, as it had to the French intellectual community. Fifteen years Mailer’s senior, Malaquais had learned much the hard way. Mailer, uncharacteristically self-effacing, remarked that “Malaquais had more influence on my mind than anyone I ever knew from the time we had gotten well acquainted while he was translating ''The Naked and the Dead''.”{{sfn|Lennon|2013|p=101}} | ||
By any reckoning, Malaquais had to be one of the most intelligent and fascinating people the young Norman had ever met. Primarily an autodidact, Malaquais came from a learned family: his father was a Classicist | By any reckoning, Malaquais had to be one of the most intelligent and fascinating people the young Norman had ever met. Primarily an autodidact, Malaquais came from a learned family: his father was a Classicist and his mother was a musician, but having left home at the age of seventeen, Malaquais had to earn his living doing manual labor and read and study on his own. Without knowing it, he had followed the educational precepts of Michel de Montaigne (1539–1592) in that he traveled before settling down to reading, books and all that is meant by “education.” | ||
Malaquais is a wizard—a Joseph Conrad and Vladimir Nabokov rolled into one. Not a native speaker of either English or French, he achieves a ''tour de force'' in his translation of Mailer’s immense novel. Malaquais faces some linguistic challenges both cultural and semantic that the two languages present. The vagabond years of Malaquais prove valuable in his translation. He understands the use of informal speech as well as that of downright vulgar vocabulary. From his experiences as a laborer in the silver mines in Provence and at Les Halles, the gigantic food market in the heart of Paris, to his friendship and correspondence with André Gide, the translator can communicate in any register. Malaquais is in command of the sophisticated nuances that the French language affords | Malaquais is a wizard—a Joseph Conrad and Vladimir Nabokov rolled into one. Not a native speaker of either English or French, he achieves a ''tour de force'' in his translation of Mailer’s immense novel. Malaquais faces some linguistic challenges both cultural and semantic that the two languages present. The vagabond years of Malaquais prove valuable in his translation. He understands the use of informal speech as well as that of downright vulgar vocabulary. From his experiences as a laborer in the silver mines in Provence and at Les Halles, the gigantic food market in the heart of Paris, to his friendship and correspondence with André Gide, the translator can communicate in any register. Malaquais is in command of the sophisticated nuances that the French language affords and he applies them to Mailer’s narrative where appropriate. | ||
[[File:Mr13-fuchs.jpg|thumb|600px]] | [[File:Mr13-fuchs.jpg|thumb|600px]] | ||
Writing about the translation of Mailer’s novel remains a daunting task; so, instead of tackling the macrocosm, the entire novel, the microcosm, a few chapters of ''The Naked and the Dead'', will be examined. Reading the chapters one paragraph at time, first in English and then in French, is a revelation. It is important to remember that the first chapter recounts the night before the invasion of Anapopei. The characters in the chapter deal with their anxiety in different ways: some men are asleep or trying to sleep; one group is playing poker; one man goes on deck and reflects on his life, his mates, his fate; two men talk about their wives and fidelity or lack thereof; the final one does not appear, but Martinez is described as a veteran of many battles and permanently terrified of noise. Malaquais depicts all that occurs with complete fidelity to Mailer’s text. Nonetheless, a few surprises and some challenges occur. | Writing about the translation of Mailer’s novel remains a daunting task; so, instead of tackling the macrocosm, the entire novel, the microcosm, a few chapters of ''The Naked and the Dead'', will be examined. Reading the chapters one paragraph at time, first in English and then in French, is a revelation. It is important to remember that the first chapter recounts the night before the invasion of Anapopei. The characters in the chapter deal with their anxiety in different ways: some men are asleep or trying to sleep; one group is playing poker; one man goes on deck and reflects on his life, his mates, his fate; two men talk about their wives and fidelity or lack thereof; the final one does not appear, but Martinez is described as a veteran of many battles and permanently terrified of noise. Malaquais depicts all that occurs with complete fidelity to Mailer’s text. Nonetheless, a few surprises and some challenges occur. | ||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
Then, there are nouns that are vulgar and essential to the narrative: one is derived from the verb “''enculer''”: “''l’enculé''” and means “asshole”; the men refer to “''les enculés''” several times. Gallagher uses the verb when referring angrily to how many times Levy is shuffling the cards (think of the motion of card shuffling and the link becomes clear): Gallagher screams, “''Arrête de les enculer et qu’on joue'',” to Mailer’s, “Let’s stop shuffling the fuggers and start playing.”{{sfn|Mailer|1998|p=7}}{{sfn|Mailer|1950|p=21}}{{efn|The first page number refers to the page in the English edition; the second page number refers to the page in the French edition.}} | Then, there are nouns that are vulgar and essential to the narrative: one is derived from the verb “''enculer''”: “''l’enculé''” and means “asshole”; the men refer to “''les enculés''” several times. Gallagher uses the verb when referring angrily to how many times Levy is shuffling the cards (think of the motion of card shuffling and the link becomes clear): Gallagher screams, “''Arrête de les enculer et qu’on joue'',” to Mailer’s, “Let’s stop shuffling the fuggers and start playing.”{{sfn|Mailer|1998|p=7}}{{sfn|Mailer|1950|p=21}}{{efn|The first page number refers to the page in the English edition; the second page number refers to the page in the French edition.}} | ||
Another noun, “''con'',” which is the same as the “c” word in English, is used as “pussy” when Wilson talks about the woman, the wife of a friend, with whom he had repeated sex, which he thoroughly enjoyed. However, “''con''” is one of the most commonly used curse words in French. It is also used as an adjective and means “stupid” in an obscene way: “''ilest con''” could mean “he’s fucking stupid.” The second advantage that the French translation provides over English is the use of the familiar form of the verb, the second person singular: “''tu''”; it is most appropriate in the situation the characters in Chapter 1 are in, as well as throughout the novel. | Another noun,“''con'',” which is the same as the “c” word in English, is used as “pussy” when Wilson talks about the woman, the wife of a friend, with whom he had repeated sex, which he thoroughly enjoyed. However, “''con''” is one of the most commonly used curse words in French. It is also used as an adjective and means “stupid” in an obscene way: “''ilest con''” could mean “he’s fucking stupid.” The second advantage that the French translation provides over English is the use of the familiar form of the verb, the second person singular: “''tu''”; it is most appropriate in the situation the characters in Chapter 1 are in, as well as throughout the novel. | ||
When the soldiers speak to one another, they “''tutoyer'',” which is a verb that means to use the familiar or “tu” form of the verb. | When the soldiers speak to one another, they “''tutoyer'',” which is a verb that means to use the familiar or “tu” form of the verb. | ||
| Line 33: | Line 33: | ||
The informality of the language indicates either the class similarities among the men or the differences between the men and the officers; it also underscores camaraderie among the men. They are literally in the same boat. | The informality of the language indicates either the class similarities among the men or the differences between the men and the officers; it also underscores camaraderie among the men. They are literally in the same boat. | ||
On the other hand, when any of the men addresses an officer, the formal “''vous''” (second person plural) is always used. In Part 11, chapter 2, when Sergeant Croft speaks to Captain Mantelli about replacements for his squad, he and Mantelli both use “''vous''. | On the other hand, when any of the men addresses an officer, the formal “''vous''” (second person plural) is always used. In Part 11, chapter 2, when Sergeant Croft speaks to Captain Mantelli about replacements for his squad, he and Mantelli both use “''vous''.”All officers use “''vous''” with one another and the men and officers all use “''vous'',” the formal form, when speaking to one another. Of course, “''vous''” is not only the plural form but is also the singular polite form. | ||
One challenge for Malaquais is that there is no way to use “goddam” as an adjective in French. It is not awkward; it is just impossible. Mailer uses “goddam luck,” “goddam drinkin,” “goddam army” and they come out as “''sacrée veine''” (holy luck), “''sacrée armée''” (holy army). “''Sacré''” means “holy” (like holy Moses, holy Toledo, holy cow). So “sacred” or “holy” is used ironically—a nuance of the language. But when it comes to “goddam drinkin,” Malaquais can’t use that parallel, so he uses a whole sentence to transmit Wilson’s thought: “. . . ''j’en ai pourtant bu de la gnole'' . . .” (with all the goddam drinkin’ I’ve done . . .) then he adds, “I still can’t remember what the stuff tastes like even when I have the bottle in my hand.”{{sfn|Mailer|1998|p=5}}{{sfn|Mailer|1950|p=19}} | One challenge for Malaquais is that there is no way to use “goddam” as an adjective in French. It is not awkward; it is just impossible. Mailer uses “goddam luck,” “goddam drinkin,” “goddam army” and they come out as “''sacrée veine''” (holy luck), “''sacrée armée''” (holy army). “''Sacré''” means “holy” (like holy Moses, holy Toledo, holy cow). So “sacred” or “holy” is used ironically—a nuance of the language. But when it comes to “goddam drinkin,” Malaquais can’t use that parallel, so he uses a whole sentence to transmit Wilson’s thought: “. . . ''j’en ai pourtant bu de la gnole'' . . .” (with all the goddam drinkin’ I’ve done . . .) then he adds, “I still can’t remember what the stuff tastes like even when I have the bottle in my hand.”{{sfn|Mailer|1998|p=5}}{{sfn|Mailer|1950|p=19}} | ||
| Line 51: | Line 51: | ||
To close, I would like to cite the hauntingly sober first paragraph of the novel, first in English and then in French. It is timeless in both languages. | To close, I would like to cite the hauntingly sober first paragraph of the novel, first in English and then in French. It is timeless in both languages. | ||
{{quote|''The Naked and the Dead''<br />No one could sleep. When morning came, assault craft would be lowered | {{quote|''The Naked and the Dead''<br />No one could sleep. When morning came, assault craft would be lowered and the first wave of troops would ride through the surf and charge ashore on the beach at Anopopei. All over the ship, all through the convoy, there was a knowledge that in a few hours some of them were going to be dead.{{sfn|Mailer|1998|p=3}} }} | ||
{{quote|''Les Nus et les Morts''<br />''Personne ne pouvait dormir. Quand le matin sera venu, les embarcations d’assaut seront mises à la mer et une première vague de troupes piquera à travers le ressac et débarquera sur la plage d’Anopopei. Dans le convoi, à bord de chaque navire, l’on savait que dans quelques heures quelques-uns seraient morts.''{{sfn|Mailer|1950|p=17}} }} | {{quote|''Les Nus et les Morts''<br />''Personne ne pouvait dormir. Quand le matin sera venu, les embarcations d’assaut seront mises à la mer et une première vague de troupes piquera à travers le ressac et débarquera sur la plage d’Anopopei. Dans le convoi, à bord de chaque navire, l’on savait que dans quelques heures quelques-uns seraient morts.''{{sfn|Mailer|1950|p=17}} }} | ||