The Fabulists French

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THE FABULISTS FRENCH Verse Fables of Nine Centuries
Translated, with Prologue and Notes, by Norman R. Shapiro Illustrations by David Schorr
Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme c/ioffi—Norman Shapiro demonstrates tlie truth of this adage in his panoramic collection of nine centuries of French fables, the first of its kind. The book features excellent translations and original woodcuts tliat will appeal to collectors and scholars alike.
In die French (ancient to modern) of Paris or Provence, or in the patois of France's former colonies Irom America to Africa, fabulists have pondered the human condition. Their conclusions appear in guises ranging irom a tvvelfth-centur>' wolf learning his letters (Marie de France) to a rapacious but impenitent eigh-teendi-centuiy crocodile whose only regret is tliat he stopped with one victim (Florian) and to a modern poodle... Tovább

Fülszöveg

' ' i M ' 1 I 1 ' ' •'
i'lvH'" ; 'iiv
I' M'}'. ¦ ' I I I • I I- • I .
il!'' ¦ Jîi/jl ; ^r/V 'VV
iMi/t' I


THE FABULISTS FRENCH Verse Fables of Nine Centuries
Translated, with Prologue and Notes, by Norman R. Shapiro Illustrations by David Schorr
Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme c/ioffi—Norman Shapiro demonstrates tlie truth of this adage in his panoramic collection of nine centuries of French fables, the first of its kind. The book features excellent translations and original woodcuts tliat will appeal to collectors and scholars alike.
In die French (ancient to modern) of Paris or Provence, or in the patois of France's former colonies Irom America to Africa, fabulists have pondered the human condition. Their conclusions appear in guises ranging irom a tvvelfth-centur>' wolf learning his letters (Marie de France) to a rapacious but impenitent eigh-teendi-centuiy crocodile whose only regret is tliat he stopped with one victim (Florian) and to a modern poodle riding in an automobile (Couteau). Not really children's literature, the fables pro\ide a usually unchildlike and often sophisticated view of basic human foibles, despite society's shifting moral complexion.
Shapiro's skillfLil translations, accompanied by their French originals and enhanced by David Schorr's woodcuts, provide a broad and varied view of an old but still active genre.
"A splendid translation. Shapiro has managed to re-create not only the sophisticated tone but also the wit and vitality of the originals. His English verse is an artflil reflecnon of the French." — Dennis M. Kratz, autlior of The Romances of Alexander
"A treasure chest of good stories well told and a valuable contribution to our understanding of a time-honored genre. . . . The fables read as if they were originally written in English verse." —John DuVal, translator of Cuckolds, Claies, and Countrymen and other worlcs fi'om the French
NORMAN R. SHAPIRO, proffessor of romance languages and literanires at Wesleyan University, is a leading translator of French poetry, tlieater, and prose. His works include Fifty Fables of La Fontaine and The Comedy of Eros: Medieval French Guides to the Art of Love; his translations of French comic dramatists are frequently performed in tlie U.S. and abroad. DAVID SCHORR, professor of art at Wesleyan University, is a well-known artist and illustrator with studios in New York Cit>' and Rome. Vissza