VICE REDEMPTION AND THE DISTANT COLONY by Jules Verne edition by Jules Verne Literature Fiction eBooks
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Literary fraud or filial devotion?
This is the question at the heart of a firestorm that erupted when manuscripts and letters were discovered proving that Jules Verne’s son, Michel, significantly revised over a dozen of the stories published under his father’s name, and even originated some of them himself. It was a collaboration that had begun while both were still alive, and continued as Michel saw to posthumous publication many of his father’s stories.
In this volume can be found one story as it was written by Jules (as Pierre-Jean), revised by his son (into The Somber Fate of Jean Morenas)—a story Michel even made as a movie in 1916! Also in these pages is the first English translation of a novel Jules began, Fact-Finding Mission, but which his son finished, and has hitherto only been available in the completed version by Michel.
The English rendering and notes are by a leading authority on Verne translations, Kieran O’Driscoll.
VICE REDEMPTION AND THE DISTANT COLONY by Jules Verne edition by Jules Verne Literature Fiction eBooks
In this title from the Palik series, the translator Kieran O’Driscoll has given us a chance to compare two originals by Verne with rewrites by his son Michel. In one case, we're given the original and the rewrite; in the other, we get only the original, on the assumption that Michel's rewrite of that one, having already been translated and published, is more widely available.The first pair of tales concerns convict 2224 in the Toulon prison system (shades of Victor Hugo and Edmond Dantes!). The convict's name is Pierre-Jean. A visitor — a businessman named Bernardon — takes an unusual interest in him. It turns out that Bernardon wants to help him escape, but Pierre-Jean has no idea why.
I guess I should add a "spoiler" warning here.
Pierre-Jean's escape succeeds, and we learn that in times past he had helped Bernardon's mother when she was about to be turned out into the street. In gratitude, Bernardon finances Pierre-Jean's trip to the new world and a new life.
I have to wonder if the story was intended as the beginning of a longer tale. But as it stands, it's a satisfying tale of redemption and second chances.
Now for the rewrite. Michel Verne transformed this simple tale into a complex and melodramatic story, The Sombre Fate of Jean Morénas. To begin with, in a kind of Jekyll-Hyde maneuver, he split Pierre-Jean into the brothers Pierre (mostly evil) and Jean (mostly good). Pierre had allowed Jean to take the rap for a murder Pierre himself had committed. Now, filled with remorse, he disguises himself as a merchant named Bernardon and helps Jean escape.
He expects Jean to leave the country and start a new life. But by a chain of events too complicated to summarize here, Jean ends up going back to prison for yet another crime of Pierre's.
It's not a bad story, but it doesn't feel very "Vernish" to me — one too many midnight murders and secret passageways for my taste. It's heavy on pathos and melodrama in a way that Verne rarely is.
The third story in the volume, Fact-Finding Mission, is the unfinished draft of a story set in French Congo. Michel incorporated these opening chapters into a novel he called The Barsac Mission. (As mentioned earlier, because Barsac has been previously translated, it isn't included here; but the old Fitzroy edition is available from third parties through Amazon.)
Verne's story has all the trappings of one of his engrossing geographical adventures: there are maps and rivers and territories known and unknown; and there is a seemingly endless list of previous expeditions. The native inhabitants of this African colony barely appear in the chapters we have, but clearly the plan was to make them a key part of the action. To the extent they do appear, Verne's attitude toward them is not so much racist as paternalistic.
The basic wheels are set in motion, and several potential rivalries and conflicts are visible. Verne indulges in particularly sarcastic humor at the expense of two members of the French parliament who are part of the expedition. (Nobody named Barsac, though.)
Kieran O'Driscoll is a stylish and reader-friendly translator. One of the grace notes is that he frequently annotates his translation choices, especially when puns and proverbs are involved. Sometimes he can find English equivalents, sometimes not, but in either case we are given the original and the reasons why one or the other choice was made.
As always, lavishly illustrated with illustrations and photographs.
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VICE REDEMPTION AND THE DISTANT COLONY by Jules Verne edition by Jules Verne Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Dear Mr Joyce
Many thanks for your positive evaluation of the above collection of Verne stories which I translated into English a few years ago for the North American Jules Verne Society. I too share your opinion that they were all three fine stories, and that the contrasting versions by Verne senior and junior of the Morenas story were interesting to study in tandem with each other. I hope you found the quality of the translation and English to your satisfaction, but it does sound as if you enjoyed the book through the spectrum of its translation into English, so thank you again for your kind review. Kieran O'Driscoll, translator.
The "Vice, Redemption" portion of this title refers to Jules Verne's "Pierre-Jean" and son, Michel Verne's "The Sombre Fate of Jean Morenas". Both start with the same premise (a mysterious benefactor aids a man serving time at a French penal colony). In fact, Michel revised Jules's prose to weave his story. Readers should find both versions more than worthwhile. Michel's take may actually strike some as more complex and, in many ways, superior! In any case, it all provides for an intriguing contrast and reading both interpretations is in no way redundant.
The story "Fact Finding Mission" (concerning Colonial Africa) accounts for the second half of the title. Michel's completion of Jules partially finished yarn has been previously published so that's not included in this volume. What is included is Jules' original 4 and 1/2 chapters of prose. FFM is a fine example of Jules' penchant for detail.
In this title from the Palik series, the translator Kieran O’Driscoll has given us a chance to compare two originals by Verne with rewrites by his son Michel. In one case, we're given the original and the rewrite; in the other, we get only the original, on the assumption that Michel's rewrite of that one, having already been translated and published, is more widely available.
The first pair of tales concerns convict 2224 in the Toulon prison system (shades of Victor Hugo and Edmond Dantes!). The convict's name is Pierre-Jean. A visitor — a businessman named Bernardon — takes an unusual interest in him. It turns out that Bernardon wants to help him escape, but Pierre-Jean has no idea why.
I guess I should add a "spoiler" warning here.
Pierre-Jean's escape succeeds, and we learn that in times past he had helped Bernardon's mother when she was about to be turned out into the street. In gratitude, Bernardon finances Pierre-Jean's trip to the new world and a new life.
I have to wonder if the story was intended as the beginning of a longer tale. But as it stands, it's a satisfying tale of redemption and second chances.
Now for the rewrite. Michel Verne transformed this simple tale into a complex and melodramatic story, The Sombre Fate of Jean Morénas. To begin with, in a kind of Jekyll-Hyde maneuver, he split Pierre-Jean into the brothers Pierre (mostly evil) and Jean (mostly good). Pierre had allowed Jean to take the rap for a murder Pierre himself had committed. Now, filled with remorse, he disguises himself as a merchant named Bernardon and helps Jean escape.
He expects Jean to leave the country and start a new life. But by a chain of events too complicated to summarize here, Jean ends up going back to prison for yet another crime of Pierre's.
It's not a bad story, but it doesn't feel very "Vernish" to me — one too many midnight murders and secret passageways for my taste. It's heavy on pathos and melodrama in a way that Verne rarely is.
The third story in the volume, Fact-Finding Mission, is the unfinished draft of a story set in French Congo. Michel incorporated these opening chapters into a novel he called The Barsac Mission. (As mentioned earlier, because Barsac has been previously translated, it isn't included here; but the old Fitzroy edition is available from third parties through .)
Verne's story has all the trappings of one of his engrossing geographical adventures there are maps and rivers and territories known and unknown; and there is a seemingly endless list of previous expeditions. The native inhabitants of this African colony barely appear in the chapters we have, but clearly the plan was to make them a key part of the action. To the extent they do appear, Verne's attitude toward them is not so much racist as paternalistic.
The basic wheels are set in motion, and several potential rivalries and conflicts are visible. Verne indulges in particularly sarcastic humor at the expense of two members of the French parliament who are part of the expedition. (Nobody named Barsac, though.)
Kieran O'Driscoll is a stylish and reader-friendly translator. One of the grace notes is that he frequently annotates his translation choices, especially when puns and proverbs are involved. Sometimes he can find English equivalents, sometimes not, but in either case we are given the original and the reasons why one or the other choice was made.
As always, lavishly illustrated with illustrations and photographs.
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