Exercises in Style

Raymond Queneau; translated by Barbara Wright

ISBN 10: 0811207897 / ISBN 13: 9780811207898

Edité par New Directions, 1981

A propos de cet article

Second printing. NDP513 first published in 1981. Translated with an introduction by Barbara Wright. Drawings of people contorted into Initials (by Stefan Themerson) are featured on the Cover design by Denise Breslin & head each exercise in the text. Bright, clean & tight copy, unread in FINE condition. "On a crowded bus at midday, Raymond Queneau observes one man accusing another of jostling him deliberately. When a seat is vacated, the first man appropriates it. Later, in another part of town, Queneau sees the man being advised by a friend to sew another button on his overcoat. EXERCISES IN STYLE retells this unexceptional tale ninety-nine times, employing the sonnet and the alexandrine, 'Ze Frrench' and 'Cockney.' An 'Abusive' chapter heartily deplores the events; 'Opera English' lends them grandeur. In 1947, when EXERCISES DE STYLE first appeared in French, it led to Queneau's election to the highly prestigious Academie des Goncourt. Long out of print, it is now being reissued for the first time in paperbook form. This virtuoso set of theme and variations is a linguistic rust-remover, a guide to literary forms, a demonstration of the use of imagery and expletive. But it is far too funny to be merely a pedantic thesis. The late Raymond Queneau, novelist, poet, mathematician, and editor, once told Barbara Wright that of all his books, this was the one he most wished to see translated. He rendered her his 'heartiest congratulations,' adding: 'I have always thought that nothing is untranslatable. Here is new proof. And it is accomplished with all the intended humor. It has not only linguistic knowledge and ingenuity, it also has that.'" [publisher copy] "A truly original work, even by international standards. In its witty, glancing way, it makes a greater contribution to the philosophy of language than many a portentous, academic tome."--The New York Times Book Review. Pristine paperbook w/brilliant corners & crisp edges, a square & tight binding w/no creases in spine & very slight shelfwear. Quite presentable.

N° de réf. du vendeur RUB1825

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Exercises in Style
• Éditeur: New Directions
• Date de parution: 1981
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0811207897
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780811207898
• Reliure: Soft cover
• Édition: 2nd Edition.
• État de l'article: Fine

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

The plot of Exercises in Style is simple: a man gets into an argument with another passenger on a bus. However, this anecdote is told 99 more times, each in a radically different style, as a sonnet, an opera, in slang, and with many more permutations. This virtuoso set of variations is a linguistic rust-remover, and a guide to literary forms.

À propos des auteurs

Raymond Queneau (1903-1976) is acknowledged as one of the most influential of modern French writers, having helped determine the shape of twentieth-century French literature, especially in his role with the Oulipo, a group of authors that includes Italo Calvino, Georges Perec, and Harry Mathews, among others.

Barbara Wright has translated several Raymond Queneau novels; indeed, as John Updike wrote in The New Yorker, she has waltzed around the floor with the Master so many times by now that she follows his quirky French as if the steps were in English. She has also translated works by Alain Robbe-Grillet, Robert Pinget, Nathalie Sarraute, and Marguerite Duras. She lives in London.