The novel: best English translation?

Barberous · The novel: best English translation?

Which do you think is good, and which should be avoided?

mastachen

I have the signet classic version.

http://www.amazon.com/Mis%C3%A9rables-Signet-Classics-Victor-Hugo/dp/0451525264/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223682068&sr=8-4

Orestes Fasting

Avoid: Norman Denny, who did a sloppy job and tended to just omit things he felt were extraneous. Also, most of the sites that have the text of the novel online use the Isabel Hapgood translation, which is clunky and inaccurate.

Recommended: Charles WIlbour's translation is archaic but faithful. Fahnestock and MacAfee also have a translation that's based on Wilbour, but isn't as archaic, and that's my 'reference copy.'

There are also translations by Julie Rose and Lascelles Wraxall that I'm not as familiar with; the Julie Rose translation is much looser and more contemporary than the others, and Wraxall's approach is (I believe) similar to Wilbour's.

javertim

I prefer the Julie Rose translation to all the others that I have read or sampled.

bigR

I am not a native english speaker and I have only read some chapters and small bits of the different translations, but from my experience I have to say that I agree with Orestes recomendations.

Barberous	The novel: best English translation? Which do you think is good, and which should be avoided?
mastachen	I have the signet classic version. http://www.amazon.com/Mis%C3%A9rables-Signet-Classics-Victor-Hugo/dp/0451525264/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223682068&sr=8-4
Orestes Fasting	Avoid: Norman Denny, who did a sloppy job and tended to just omit things he felt were extraneous. Also, most of the sites that have the text of the novel online use the Isabel Hapgood translation, which is clunky and inaccurate. Recommended: Charles WIlbour's translation is archaic but faithful. Fahnestock and MacAfee also have a translation that's based on Wilbour, but isn't as archaic, and that's my 'reference copy.' There are also translations by Julie Rose and Lascelles Wraxall that I'm not as familiar with; the Julie Rose translation is much looser and more contemporary than the others, and Wraxall's approach is (I believe) similar to Wilbour's.
javertim	I prefer the Julie Rose translation to all the others that I have read or sampled.
bigR	I am not a native english speaker and I have only read some chapters and small bits of the different translations, but from my experience I have to say that I agree with Orestes recomendations.

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The novel: best English translation?