The Ladies’ Paradise encapsulates in
luxurious detail the new phenomenon of consumer society – obsessed with image,
fashion and instant gratification, laying bare the department store in 1860s
Paris. Octave Mouret is a business genius who transforms a modest draper’s shop
into a hugely successful retail enterprise, masterfully exploiting the desires
of his female customers and ruining small businesses in the process. Sound
familiar?
Through
the eyes of trainee salesgirl Denise, we see the inner workings of the store
and the relations and intrigues among the staff, human dramas played out alongside
the relentless pursuit of profit. The various characters find themselves torn
between the conflicting forces of love, loyalty and ambition. (Arthur Hailey
did something similar with his books in the 1960s and 1970s [Hotel, Airport, Wheels, Moneychangers,
Overload etc]; surprisingly, he never examined a department store; maybe
he’d thought it had been done so well by Zola!)
Zola
evokes the giddy pace of Paris’ transition into a modern city and the changes
in sexual attitudes and class relations that were occurring in the latter half
of the nineteenth century.
Not lost in translation
I
bought two versions of the book as Christmas presents. Interestingly, the
translations differ, which is to be expected. The job of a translator is not to
literally transcribe word-for-word from one language to another; indeed, that’s
impossible, because different cultures have different idioms, phrases and even
several meanings for certain words. In the new language, there must be a constant
battle between accurate translation and narrative flow.
Here
you’ll find the opening two paragraphs from Chapter One. You might like to note
the subtle changes employed by the translators. Doubtless, a third translator
would opt for another slight variant. Either could appear as a draft version in
English – certainly, some authors would vary their prose to this degree,
striving for clarity and style.
The Ladies’ Paradise, translation
April Fitzlyon, 1957,2008: Alma Classics, 2012.
Denise
had come on foot from Saint-Lazare station where, after a night spent on the
hard bench of a third-class carriage, she and her two brothers had been set
down by a train from Cherbourg. She was holding Pepe’s hand, and Jean was
following her; they were all three aching from the journey, scared and lost in
the midst of the vast city of Paris. Noses in the air, they were looking at the
houses, and at each cross-road they asked the way to the Rue de la Michodiere
where their Uncle Baudu lived. But, just as she was finally emerging into the
Place Gaillon, the girl stopped short in surprise.“Oh!” she said. “Just have a look at that, Jean!”
The Ladies’ Paradise, translation
Brian Nelson, 1995: Oxford University Press, 2012
Denise
had come on foot from the Gare Saint-Lazsare. She and her two brothers had
arrived on a train from Cherbourg and had spent the night on the hard bench of
a third-class carriage. She was holding Pepe by the hand, and Jean was walking
behind her, all three exhausted from the journey, frightened and lost in the
midst of the vast city of Paris. They kept looking up at the houses, and at
every intersection they asked the way to the Rue de la Michodiere, where their
uncle Baudu lived. But on arriving in the Place Gaillon, the young girl
suddenly stopped in surprise.“Oh!” she said, “look at that, Jean!”
