Eprile translates Jean Giono’s Melville
Local poet, publisher and translator, Paul Eprile, has found a special calling spending the last 12 years translating the work of the French novelist Jean Giono (1895-1970) into English.
Eprile has translated two of Giono’s novels ensuring that a major French literary figure of the twentieth century maintains a modern readership.
These translations have been well received and to date he has attended two conferences devoted to the works of Giono to discuss the challenges of translating his work.
Jean Giono was a prolific author who wrote several novels in addition to short stories, essays and articles. Several of his books have been made into movies including The Horseman on the Roof and the animated The Man Who Planted Trees.
Eprile first encountered Giono’s work in 2004 while studying French in Toulouse, France.
He came across one of Giono’s books, The Open Road, which had been published in 1951. Eprile was at first attracted by the book’s cover, but when he started to read it he was struck by the richness and energy of the language. Thus began a devotion to translating Giono.
Eprile recently signed a contract with the New York Review of Books to translate The Open Road, his third translation of Giono’s work.
Eprile’s first Giono translation was Hill, which was originally published in 1928. Paul’s translation was published in 2016 by the New York Review of Books and was well received.
His most recent translation, which was just released in September, is Melville, which was originally published in 1941.
Melville is a fictional account of a trip to England by the American author Herman Melville. On this trip, Melville encounters Adelina White, an Irish nationalist, who he befriends and who becomes his muse with some tragic consequences.
Melville also has an encounter with an angel who challenges him to write a great novel. Upon his return to America, Melville takes up the angel’s challenge and produces the novel, which is of course Moby Dick.
Melville is more a novella than a novel and is a lyrical read that offers insights into the inner conflicts of an artist. Melville is presented as a physical and robust individual who is more comfortable in the clothes of a sailor than in the suit of a gentleman.
Eprile’s translation of Melville was a labour of love, taking two full years. The end result is both enjoyable and engaging and demonstrates why Giono was such a successful author.
How Giono came to write Melville is a story in itself.
Giono had worked on translating Moby Dick into French over a three-year period from 1936-1939. After completing the translation he was asked to write an introduction.
After spending three years on the project he was reluctant to do so wanting to move on to other projects. However, his desire to see Melville’s major work, Moby Dick, become popular in France overcame his reluctance.
The intended introduction took the form of Melville, and wound up being published separately.
Basil Guinane is a retired associate dean of the School of Media Studies at Humber college, a former librarian and an avid reader.
Author photo by Andrej Kopac.
