By Edgar Allan Poe, Stéphane Mallarmé. Translation by Holly Cundiff. Illustrations by Édouard Manet.
Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–98) claimed to have learned English in order to read Poe, an American poet greatly admired by the French Symbolists. This volume reproduces at full size the first-edition bilingual publication of Le Corbeau / The Raven (Richard Lesclide, Paris, 1875), Mallarmé’s prose translation of Poe’s melancholy poem, including six commissioned illustrations by Édouard Manet—four that visually interpret specific stanzas of the poem, one that serves as the ex-libris and a cover image of a raven’s head that functions as the poem’s title. In addition, a new retranslation back into English of Mallarmé’s text, which was both praised and criticized for its literalism, reveals the particular tenor and subtleties of his reading of Poe’s verse and his feel, as a fellow poet, for the emotive and evocative power of language. The result is a circular exploration of the poem and its translation. The volume also reflects Mallarmé’s specifications for layout, typeface and paper.
This is the second in a series exploring Mallarmé in translation. The first, A Blow of Dice Never Will Abolish Chance, appeared in 2018; forthcoming is a translation of the second published collaboration between Mallarmé and Manet, Afternoon of a Faun (L’après-midi d’un faune).
Above: A spread from 'The Raven / Le Corbeau / The Raven' with ex-libris book plate.
STATUS: Out of stock
Temporarily out of stock pending additional inventory.
We are thrilled to announce the release of Lucia | Marquand's extraordinary new publication, The Raven / Le Corbeau / The Raven. At 14 inches wide by more than 21 inches tall, this exquisitely-printed, hand-sewn, loose 20-page portfolio is a near-facsimile of the 1875 first-edition of Stéphane Mallarmé’s prose translation of Edgar Allan Poe's 1845 masterpiece—complete with illustrations by Édouard Manet. Produced according to Mallarmé’s specifications for layout, typeface and paper (including an ex-libris book plate printed with a Manet raven), this volume differs from the original in one important way: it includes not only Poe's original text and Mallarmé’s French translation, as did the first edition, but a retranslation by Holly Cundiff of Mallarmé’s verses back into English. If there's a more epic approach to reading Poe, we don't know it. continue to blog
FORMAT: Slip, Pbk, 14 x 21.5 in. / 20 pgs / 6 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $60.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $85 GBP £56.00 ISBN: 9780999652282 PUBLISHER: Lucia|Marquand AVAILABLE: 5/21/2019 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: SDNR40 PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: Out of stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by Lucia|Marquand. By Edgar Allan Poe, Stéphane Mallarmé. Translation by Holly Cundiff. Illustrations by Édouard Manet.
Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–98) claimed to have learned English in order to read Poe, an American poet greatly admired by the French Symbolists. This volume reproduces at full size the first-edition bilingual publication of Le Corbeau / The Raven (Richard Lesclide, Paris, 1875), Mallarmé’s prose translation of Poe’s melancholy poem, including six commissioned illustrations by Édouard Manet—four that visually interpret specific stanzas of the poem, one that serves as the ex-libris and a cover image of a raven’s head that functions as the poem’s title. In addition, a new retranslation back into English of Mallarmé’s text, which was both praised and criticized for its literalism, reveals the particular tenor and subtleties of his reading of Poe’s verse and his feel, as a fellow poet, for the emotive and evocative power of language. The result is a circular exploration of the poem and its translation. The volume also reflects Mallarmé’s specifications for layout, typeface and paper.
This is the second in a series exploring Mallarmé in translation. The first, A Blow of Dice Never Will Abolish Chance, appeared in 2018; forthcoming is a translation of the second published collaboration between Mallarmé and Manet, Afternoon of a Faun (L’après-midi d’un faune).
