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/lit/ - Literature

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6668958 No.6668958 [Reply] [Original]

>be french
>library
>ask for l'Infinie Comédie by David Feausteure Ouallasse
>"oh it's not translated yet"
>"it's out in october"
>ask if I can buy it in english
>yeah that will be 43 bucks
>mfw

>> No.6668977

>>6668958
Amazon exists, anon, libgen too.

>> No.6668983

>>6668977
Of course, I have no other choice
I usually drop by my block's library cause they have decent hardcovers that are the same price as online and I get to talk to the librarians that are chill people. I am however surprised that Infinite Jest hasn't been translated to french yet

>> No.6668988

>>6668983
Yeah, understand. Didn't want to be a dick, just know the feel being a fellow euro fag and all. The fact it hasn't been translated definitely strikes me as weird.

>> No.6668994

>>6668977

By French law online retailers aren't allowed to undercut genuine bookshops

>> No.6668999

>>6668988
It's a very 1079 page book with an aesthetic that's ultimately very unassuming, depressive, and sentimental. I don't think Infinite Jest is blithely caustic or pretentious enough to do well in France.

>> No.6669013
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6669013

>>6668999
>It's a very 1079 page book

>> No.6669074
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6669074

>>6668958
>complaining about a classic being a mere €48

>> No.6669082

>>6668999
Using the word "pretentious" incorrectly is very pretentious, not to mention it is a very plebeian misuse, and pretty much plebeian all-around when trying to use it to defend David Foster Wallace.

>> No.6669095

>got "Unendlicher Spaß" from the university library
>German translation is decent, except for anything related to Germany
Well, better than paying I guess.

>> No.6669122

>>6668994
Bookstores must be pretty cheap in France then because it was cheaper for me to order a batch of French language books from Amazon.fr than it would have cost to order the English equivalent from Amazon.co.uk even with Super Saver Delivery.

>> No.6669125

>>6668958
>be french

That's where you fucked up frog

>> No.6669131

>>6669082
Except there's no misuse there and it's not a defense or condemnation of Wallace or Infinite Jest at all. lrn2read m80.

>> No.6669140
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6669140

>>6668958
>be french
>wasted time and money on american literature following /lit/ standards
>realize most of it is shit, the authors are shit, their personal history is shit
>went back to reading everything except american authors
>feels good man

>> No.6669146

>>6668958
Why are you wasting your time with this shit when there's french literature at reach?

>> No.6669155

>>6669140
>Wants to exclusively read works written in Frogland


Better start learning Arabic Jacques.

>> No.6669182

>>6668958
>the French have to pay for books at their library
Try telling me it's a socialist paradise now

>> No.6669190

>>6669182
You can order books through libraries. Most people in Murrica just don't do it.

>> No.6669193

>>6669155
>Wants to exclusively read works written in Frogland

Nope, not at all. But I guess this is how the world works for you my fellow american ?

>> No.6669197

>>6669190
Yeah and we don't have to pay 43 fucking dollary doos either

>> No.6669207
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6669207

>>6669193
No shit, the rest of the world is our bitches.


Feels good to live in the modern Roman empire.

>> No.6669208

>>6669140
you're pretty much just wrong if you think American literature isn't worth your time
it's outclassed by a few European countries but you're severely limiting your scope if you just ignore it entirely

>> No.6669214

>>6669122
The price is acceptable
It can go as low as 2€ for classics such as plays and short canon works

>> No.6669223

>>6669208
Well to each his own. what would be the top 5 american book I might have missed ?

>> No.6669268

>>6669223
I'm from mainland Europe and enjoyed Hemingway as well as Steinbeck. The best US literature are the simply worded, masculine works. They tend to convey a lot of emotion through very little.
Not high literature, that's for certain, but good reads.

>> No.6669303
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6669303

>>6669223
Though most 'murricans haven't read or heard of it either.

>> No.6669322

>>6669182
not sure if trolling, but a librairie is actually a bookstore. libraries in french are called bibliothèques

>> No.6669334

>>6669208
says the american who doesn't realize the irony of his argument

>> No.6669336

>>6669214
How come there are so many more Anglophone publishers than French ones? For a standard English classic, we can usually choose between Penguin (several types), Oxford, Vintage, Wordsworth, Everyman, Modern Library, Signet, Dover and occasionally some miscellaneous ones like Alma and Faber. In France, you only seem to have Gallimard, Les Éditions de Minuit and Hachette, and there doesn't seem to be much if any overlap in their libraries.

>> No.6669346

>>6669336
Because France is much smaller than the UK, Murrica, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

>> No.6669394

>>6669346
Is there typically only ever one translation in print for a foreign classic?

>> No.6669395

>>6669303
That actually sounds cool, I will give it a shot. Thanks mate

>> No.6670945

infinite jest is g4y

>> No.6670955

>>6670945
why

>> No.6670973

>>6669394
In English, many works will have multiple translations. I go into Barnes & Noble and find several translations available of Dostoevsky, Homer, and most other major works.

>> No.6671002

>>6670955
because of all the guy stuff in ti

>> No.6671014

American literature is not inferior to European literature. Gravity's Rainbow hasn't been topped by anyone over the Atlantic. Sure, Infinite Jest is for faggots, but if you think that's "great American literature" you need to read more American literature for your own good.

>> No.6671059

>>6669336
There are shit tons of publishers in France if you don't look for mainstream titles. And I'm not even talking about totally obscure shit either.
Corti, Actes Sud, PUF, Plein Chant, Loubetière, etc.

My personal fav is Corti. Their books are so nice and their selection is fantastic.

>> No.6671072

>>6668988
its long and very American

>> No.6671240

>>6671059
Actes Sud is p.good