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Is there a Les Miserables book in English?
I really want to read this for a reading assignment but I don't know if there's an English version of the book.
2 Answers
- 8 years agoFavorite Answer
Yes, there are three major translations:
Charles Wilbour - 1862. His translation is very poetic. It is the one I read in high school, and like. It does have its critics who say that it is not close enough to what Hugo wrote. I can't read French, so I can't argue. It comes in abridged (approx 520 pages) and unabridged versions (approx 1,488 pages).
Norman Denny - 1976. This translation is by an Englishman (the other two are Americans). It is semi-abridged: he cut down on Victor Hugo's descriptions of the sewers of Paris and the Battle of Waterloo. I can't comment too much on this translation, as I read the Wilbour. (1,209 pages)
Julie Rose - 2007. This translation, for better or worse, is to today's conventional language. From what I have read, for example, the Thenardier's Inn is referred to as a "greasy spoon". Which of course, Hugo wouldn't have used that term. (1,376 pages)
Whichever translation you choose, it is a great book, and I think you'll be glad you read it.
Links:
Wilbour - abridged (I read): http://www.amazon.com/Miserables-Enriched-Classics...
Wilbour - unabridged (I am going to read): http://www.amazon.com/Mis%C3%A9rables-Signet-Class...
Denny - semi-abridged: http://www.amazon.com/Miserables-Signet-classics-V...
Rose - unabridged: http://www.amazon.com/Miserables-Modern-Library-Cl...
Source(s): wikipedia for translation dates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables - 8 years ago
Yes, it was translated to English. I don't know exactly how to find it, but you can start on Amazon. If you have a Kindle, I think books as old as Les Mis will be free of charge. Although, you could always find a sight that will let you read it on your computer. But, yes, I'm sure Les Mis was translated to English, or why else would they be making a movie about it?
Here are some sights that can probably download it, although I'm not sure, I won't be downloading them. Sorry if they aren't of any help, and you may have to buy it. Plus, shouldn't a local library have Les Mis? I would expect it to.
http://manybooks.net/titles/hugovictetext94lesms10...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Les-Mis%C3%A9rables-Englis...
http://mybebook.com/download_free_ebook/hugo-victo...
I would recommend that you buy the Amazon one because it is free, considering it is in the Public Domain (much like novels by Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters). But it is ONLY FREE ON KINDLE! If you don't have a Kindle, yo should. They take away almost half the prices of actual books, and you can read them in seconds. I'm not advertising them, so just do what you want.
But I know for certain Les Mis is translated to English, and that you can buy it somewhere, or even at your local bookstore or library. Try your school library, too, maybe?
Source(s): Reader, Ater Anguis