Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio wins Nobel prize of literature

[Etienne]

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2008/index.html

[JBI]

Has anyone read him - I've never seen a copy of his books - has he been translated to English even?

edit: my public library has a few of his books in English - I guess if I want to read any, I better jump quickly, because people like to grab at these things right after someone wins a Nobel.

second edit: already 50 holds on one book - looks like theothers got there first. Only 1 of his books is available in the TPL for borrowing, in English, and I guess that one is gone forever - by the time it comes to the end of the list, it won't be much of a book anymore.

That being said, I'm sure the library will now stock 500 or so copies of assorted books written by Le Clezio, so all one has to do is wait.

[Etienne]

Well the book I'm reading at the moment has a preface by him... I don't think it counts though :lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marie_Gustave_Le_Cl%C3%A9zio it seems that almost all of his works have been translated. I've never read him though, but I've seen his books quite often. I'm quite unable to catch up with "current" writers with all there is to read, but that's the universal tragedy of the reader.

[JBI]

Well the book I'm reading at the moment has a preface by him... I don't think it counts though :lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marie_Gustave_Le_Cl%C3%A9zio it seems that almost all of his works have been translated. I've never read him though, but I've seen his books quite often. I'm quite unable to catch up with "current" writers with all there is to read, but that's the universal tragedy of the reader.

Translated maybe, but still on the shelves/available, I don't know. I'm not running out of my way to grab a copy from the 70s.

[papayahed]

erm.. who?

[bouquin]

I have read (in French) a volume of his novellas. I also have a copy of L'Africain but I have not gotten around to reading it.

[Niamh]

I'm with P'hed. Who?

[Etienne]

Well he is a well-known figure of contemporary French literature.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marie_Gustave_Le_Cl%C3%A9zio

He'll most probably be available soon if he is not already in English translation on the bookshelves of all good bookshops.

I see some of his books available in English on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Prospector-Verba-Mundi-Books/dp/087923976X/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223606307&sr=8-5 although pretty scarce.

[Etienne]

Translated maybe, but still on the shelves/available, I don't know. I'm not running out of my way to grab a copy from the 70s.

brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to what the Nobel guy had said about America and literature :lol:

[JBI]

brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to what the Nobel guy had said about America and literature :lol:

Not true; I'm Canadian. We get more foreign authors I think, but the problem is we don't have the funding to produce as many translations as we would like, being that most translators from French would probably be doing French Canadian work. That being said, there were a decent amount of his originals in the library, but my French isn't good enough to handle them.

[Etienne]

Not true; I'm Canadian. We get more foreign authors I think, but the problem is we don't have the funding to produce as many translations as we would like, being that most translators from French would probably be doing French Canadian work. That being said, there were a decent amount of his originals in the library, but my French isn't good enough to handle them.

Well i was mostly referring about those translation not being available anymore because of the market not being there. The market in English North America, unfortunately for Canadians (I'm French Canadian myself by the way), has the United States as driving force (but are English Canadians less anglo-centric? That, I have no idea about though).

As for French Canadians work being translated, I'm a bit skeptic about it, as I already looked to see if some of the greatest French Canadian works were available in translation, and the fruit of my researches was pretty disappointing. For example, where is the translation of Hubert Aquin's Prochain épisode (Next Episode)? Not available anymore, while it is in my opinion (and probably in the general opinion of Quebec's literary world) the greatest French-Canadian book, and one that belongs in the annals of world literature. I'd even suggest you to go look for '70 editions of that book ;) Actually my edition of that one is a 1965, it belonged to my father :lol:

Checked a few French Canadian authors, their availability in translations is scarce. Even Emile Nelligan is not easily available. Basically they are translated, but as soon as they are not "current" anymore, they stop being edited. Quite the same situation as French works in America, for example.

[JBI]

Yes, but keep in mind 23% or so of Canadians speak French as a first language, and how many more speak it as a second language? That already lowers a small reader's market down significantly, as anyone who can read something in the original won't read it in translation.

The novel also, is not forgotten, it was selected in 2003 for the Canada Reads program, with a relatively new translation by Sheila Fischman.

The TPL has actually, 43 volumes of the text dating back to a 2001 publication.

[Etienne]

Yes, but keep in mind 23% or so of Canadians speak French as a first language, and how many more speak it as a second language?

Native languages: English- 57.8% French- 22.1%
Languages spoken: English only- 67.5% French only- 13.1% Both- 17.7%

Conclusion: Not many native English speaker are actually bilingual, most bilinguals are the French native speakers. So even if we assume that all the bilingual people are able to read books in French, there market is still in big majority an English one.


That already lowers a small reader's market down significantly, as anyone who can read something in the original won't read it in translation.

But I was not referring to obscure works, but the most fundamental works of French Canadian literature. The point here is not victimization, but simply saying that the Anglo-centric situation seems to be quite as much there in English Canada than in America. This is perhaps conditioned by the south neighbor, but the situation is different and not "excusable" by it, Canada being a bilingual country and having French Canadian literature as part of the "national culture" (a notion which I do not subscribe to, but which is actually what Canada likes to pretend, but let's not get in those politics).

And so back to the point, that English Canada is also Anglo-centric.


The novel also, is not forgotten, it was selected in 2003 for the Canada Reads program, with a relatively new translation by Sheila Fischman.

But what about 2008?

"Cuba sinks in flame in the middle of Lake Geneva, while I go down into the depth of things." (My translation)

[JBI]

I told you - it has a 2001 edition - what more can any book ask for - books don't get reprints every year - especially not in Canada, which has a small population. In the U.S. the population is giant, the academics are more numerous, and the scholarship easier to come by.

If you factor in that only a small part of the population read literary books, as apposed to genre works, or nothing, and that most read works from other backgrounds, I think a 2001 edition is a good record.

and, your numbers equal 30% of the population - ok, most are French bilinguals, but still, that's 30% of the population, with 3 million other people speaking another language as a first (such as Chinese, etc.) I think things become a little complicated.

But what's more than that, Canada is even now trying to boost the bilingualism of Canadian high school graduates to around 50% countrywide for non-native speakers. But what really must be taken into account is that Canada has the highest immigrants per capita in the world, and the number is only going up. That creates a desire for traditions from India, China, Pakistan, The Middle East, Japan, and Italy to take the foreground in culture, in addition to French and French Canadian, and American. Things become problematic, because there are too many cultures, not big enough reading publics for translations, and quite a few texts floating around.

But beyond that also, Canada has to deal with our neighbors to the south, who insist on bringing their books over the border with a hegamonious attitude. Promoting Canadian letters then becomes a task onto itself, being that Canadian artists suffer when American ones are being showcased. There is too much, and too little time, I'm afraid, though I think for a country with such a small population, we do just as well as Europe. Surely our own literature is far more varied than the States's seems to be, and the fact is, there are now so many trends in Canadian literature that it is impossible to really keep track of them. Ondaatje doesn't sound like Atwood who doesn't sound like Choy, who doesn't sound like Roy, who doesn't sound like Lawrence. Yet all are pretty good authors - the problem is not lack of exposure, and self-superiority/isolationism, but the fact that Canada has a small population for such a large country.

You should check out Linda Hutcheon's work - she's an interesting post-modern literary theorist, who has some interesting things to say about Canadian lit, and the post-modern.

[Etienne]

I told you - it has a 2001 edition - what more can any book ask for - books don't get reprints every year - especially not in Canada, which has a small population.

Haw, ok, I found it. The things is that I couldn't find on internet any new, and so I thought you were referring to a now out-of-print edition. My apologies.


You should check out Linda Hutcheon's work - she's an interesting post-modern literary theorist, who has some interesting things to say about Canadian lit, and the post-modern.

Noted, you tickled my curiosity. Note that I am not such a big fan of French Canadian literature in general, however. And so I am not trying to promote it or anything, but I'll promote Next Episode any day.

[hhc]

I haven't heard anything about him either.
I don't know how you people feel about that, but I think that the Swedish Academy gave him the Nobel because of his "ecological thinking"...
At least that's what I heard.
Anyways, I've been feeling a little disappointed by the Academy lately....:(

[Niamh]

Well he is a well-known figure of contemporary French literature.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marie_Gustave_Le_Cl%C3%A9zio

He'll most probably be available soon if he is not already in English translation on the bookshelves of all good bookshops.

I see some of his books available in English on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Prospector-Verba-Mundi-Books/dp/087923976X/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223606307&sr=8-5 although pretty scarce.

I have never seen him in any bookshop and i live in bookshops. Obviously no demand for him in Ireland. but you are right. He'll probably start appearing in shops now that he won the Nobel.

[Kafka's Crow]

Nothing in English on Amazon (UK). There are some over-priced editions on offer from Amazon associates but, as always, they are way over-priced and you have to pay atrocious shipping costs on top (being an Amazon 'Prime' customer, I have lost the habit of paying the 'p&p' charges!):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Books/s/qid=1223653158/ref=sr_pg_1?ie=UTF8&rs=266239&rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AJean-Marie%20Gustave%20Le%20Clezio&page=1

[blazeofglory]

The noble prize can not be a criterion or something to judge. It is a committee that is constituted of a group of people who agree or succumb to an idea popped up by someone has proposed.

Judging someone by what a few persons know can not be a good judgment.

[JBI]

The noble prize can not be a criterion or something to judge. It is a committee that is constituted of a group of people who agree or succumb to an idea popped up by someone has proposed.

Judging someone by what a few persons know can not be a good judgment.

They take nominations from academics, and critics, and read through the lists, and then read through the books of the nominees, and then decide. I can't possibly think of a better method. Clearly French academics Favor Le Clezio, and his name made it to the academy, and they clearly decided it was fitting to award them. I personally haven't read any of his books, so I can't decide, but the lack of availability of the authors work says nothing of its quality. Publishers print what they know can sell - not what they think is good fiction.

[Niamh]

Publishers print what they know can sell - not what they think is good fiction.

That is very true.