An ape that has learned human ways reports to an assembly of scientists on the use or rather misuse that mankind had made of his talents.
A moving and powerful account of his determined, obsessive striving to fundamentally change his essential condition and acquire a form of freedom in spite of the coarseness, stupidity and callousness of the humans into whose world he has been unwillingly thrust.
Yet another masterwork by the author of The Metamorphosis and In the Penal Colony, a writer (…)
Articles les plus récents
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"A Report to an Academy" by Franz Kafka (1920)
10 janvier 2022, par Franz Kafka -
"Candide" by Voltaire (1759)
3 janvier 2022, par VoltaireVoltaire’s brilliant parody of the ideological notion that all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds [1], ironically sub-titled "Optimism", that was written in three incredibly productive days(!) and has retained its charm, its venom and its Enlightenment message for mankind ever since.
This 34,000-word English translation was done by an unidentified translator for an edition of Candide that was printed in New York in 1908.
An e-book, with the original text in an annex, is (…) -
"The Wonderful Story of Peter Schlemihl" by Adelbert von Chamisso (1814)
27 décembre 2021, par Adelbert von ChamissoAt the very beginning of this justly-famous story the young Peter Schlemihl becomes so alarmed by the amazing powers of a very strange man at a social gathering that he runs away, only to be pursued by the man in question, who insistently offers him an ever-renewable purse in exchange for his shadow.
When he finally succumbs to the insistency of the diabolical fellow he discovers that in spite of his unlimited supply of money he is an object of ridicule and abhorrence to one and all (…) -
"A Christmas Tale (Conte de Noël)" by Guy de Maupassant
20 décembre 2021, par Guy de MaupassantA doctor recounts his most memorable Christmas experience – the resolution of a dramatic case of possession – to a group of listeners.
A vivid, intense account of a Christmas miracle from a distinctly detached point of view.
(2,000 words)
Translated specially for this site.
An e-book of this striking tale, with the original French text in an annex, is available for downloading below.
The original text can also be seen here. A CHRISTMAS TALE
Doctor Bonenfant searched in his (…) -
"A Klondike Christmas" and other stories of the Far North, by Jack London
13 décembre 2021, par Jack LondonTABLE OF CONTENTS
1. A KLONDIKE CHRISTMAS (1898) Two brothers are writing home at Christmas describing their life on a mining claim in the Yukon, but are somewhat embarrassed to have to reveal that all they have for Xmas dinner is the miners’ standard fare of beans, bread and bacon. But then things surprisingly start looking up. (2,500 words).
2. THE MEN OF FORTY-MILE (1899) In the middle of winter in the rough settlement town of Forty Miles, an animated discussion about different kinds (…) -
"The Judgement (Das Urteil)" by Franz Kafka (1913)
6 décembre 2021, par Franz KafkaA subtle shocker written in Kafka’s detached, almost otherworldly way, where a man-to-man conversation between a father and son brings out long-suppressed thoughts and attitudes and hitherto-hidden facts, and quasi-instantaneously triggers off a final catastrophic conclusion to what had seemingly been a straightforward and even banal relationship.
A fictional counterpart to Kafka’s long, real-life letter to his own father that was published posthumously as Letter to Father.
(4,200 words) (…) -
English is a wordy language !
1er décembre 2021, par RayWe have compared the word-counts of the 499 translations into English from other languages on our site [1] with the following results : from French from German from Russian from Latin TOTAL Number of texts 188 89 221 1 499 words in the original texts 623,463 852,257 835,234 51,688 2,362,642 words in the translated English texts 653,671 928,253 1,110,908 75,418 2,768,250 % increase 4.8% 8.9% 33.0% 45.9% 17.2% % of English translations with more words 83,0% 100% 100% (…)
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"The Thief" and other stories by Guy de Maupassant
29 novembre 2021, par Guy de MaupassantTABLE OF CONTENTS
1. THE THIEF (1882) Three friends are having a party and dress up in the ancient uniforms that the host collects, each with an appropriate weapon. So when they hear a suspicious noise in the attic and realise that a prowler’s up there, they launch a military expedition to surround and capture the culprit. Which they do, and they decide to conduct his trial that, given their state of inebriation, pronounces a death sentence. (1,550 words)
2. THE IMPOLITE SEX (1882) (…) -
"The Iron Heel" (1907) - Jack London’s radical statement of faith in the future of socialism
26 novembre 2021, par Jack LondonThe Iron Heel is Jack London’s militant declaration of faith in the final victory of socialism – of the purist variety – over the iniquitous system of capitalism that was an absolute scandal and anathema to him.
The term “socialist” in 21st-century English is a quite inadequate term to convey the nature of deeply-felt radical thought at the beginning of the 20th century, when extreme violence was commonplace in labour disputes, when Marx and Engels and Herbert Spencer exercised enormous (…) -
"The Fantastic Night (Phantastische Nacht)" by Stefan Zweig (1922)
22 novembre 2021, par Stefan ZweigA well-off and rather idle reserve officer in Vienna in June 1913 quite by hazard finds himself at the races in the Prater, the great Viennese public park, and watches the excited behaviour of the crowd during the races with a detached eye. His day and his whole existence are thrown head over heels when he starts paying attention to an alluring person next to him and he rapidly goes through a major life-changing experience.
A memorable account of the glories of a summer pre-WW1 Viennese (…)