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RUSKIN, John; PROUST, Marcel (translator). La Bible d'Amiens. Paris: Mercure de France, 1910.
Fifth edition (first issued in 1904). Proust's translation of John Ruskin's The Bible of Amiens. With Proust's preface, consisting of 4 parts: I. "Avant-Propos" (pp 9-14); II. "Ruskin à Notre-Dame d'Amiens" (pp 15-47); III. "John Ruskin" (pp 48-77); IV. "Post-Scriptum" (pp 78-95). With copious footnotes by Proust, ranging from brief citations to substantial commentary.
Inscribed and signed by Proust in ink, 'à Monsieur Aubert, souvenir du traducteur, Marcel Proust'. Could this be Georges Aubert, the talented engraver who produced a remarkable woodcut portrait of Proust at 25?
At the turn of the 20th century, Ruskin became the object of Proust's close study. During this period Proust translated into French two of Ruskin's books ? The Bible of Amiens and Sesame and Lilies, a remarkable accomplishment considering Proust spoke no English. In a letter to a friend he explained: 'I do not know a word of English and I do not read it well. But after four years of working on The Bible of Amiens I know the whole thing by heart [.] if there are mistakes in my work, they are in the obvious, easy parts, because the obscure parts have been meditated on, recast, thoroughly examined, for years [.] I do not claim to know English. I do claim to know Ruskin.' (The Translation of Memories by P.F. Prestwich, 1999)
Proust had two major collaborators during his Ruskin period, both mentioned in his notes to La Bible d'Amiens: Marie Nordlinger (1876?1961), "the eminent English artist", who became the interpreter for Proust of the thought and language of Ruskin; and Robert d'Humières (1868?1915), "the marvellous translator of Kipling". When Proust was stuck on a difficult passage of English, he would consult Robert d'Humières, who would immediately resolve the difficulty "with his astonishing comprehension of English texts, in which intuition plays as great a part as learning".
'Proust, while revealing Ruskin, had revealed Proust unto himself', wrote Nordlinger, and he discovered that 'in order to write the essential book, the only true book, a great writer does not have . to invent it since it already exists in each one of us, but to translate it. The duty and task of a writer are those of the translator.' (Time Regained)
pp 347, [7], [4-publisher's catalogue]. 8vo, original printed wrappers. Top corner of the front cover torn and repaired. Light foxing to prelims and fore-edge.
Ref.: "Proust and Ruskin" by Marie Nordlinger (Marcel Proust and His Time, 1955); Marcel Proust by Jean-Yves Tadié (2000).
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