Somewhat off topic – Peter Griffin, a long-time member of the CompuServe translators’/foreign language forum FLEFO (and a multilingual one) published a bilingual version (this link shows both languages) of a novel in Catalan, Tocats pel foc – Touched by Fire – by Manuel de Pedrolo. It’s also available on Amazon.

According to Peter, ‘ Pedrolo was … one of the
most productive, the best known and the most acclaimed Catalan writers of
the twentieth century. ‘

Apparently the novel has received practically no advertising, partly because the publisher specializes in doctoral dissertations. The paperback is a little expensive, the publisher’s choice, and a positive review in World Literature Today, Summer 1994, misstated the price as $39.95 rather than $29.95.

So if any multilingual bloggers or Catalan speakers out there would like to make this book better-known, please take a look at it.

Overleaf I quote a bilingual extract. Continue reading…Ella va observar com la Sogues alçava els ulls del plat i entreobria els llavis com si es disposés a fer una pregunta. Es va limitar, però, a mirar-se’l breument abans d’enfonsar de nou la forquilla en els fesols. L’Anto va apoderar-se de l’ampolla i abocà vi a tots quatre gots.

—Fan venir set, els llegums.

Ella en va beure un glopet i, amb els llavis humits, digué:

—Al poble, hi havia anys que en menjàvem tot l’hivern.

El seu home va replicar:

—Ara no som a l’hivern.

—Ja ho sé.

She saw Sogues look up and partially open her lips as if she were about to ask something. But the girl merely looked at him for a moment before digging into the beans again with her fork. Anto took the bottle and poured wine into all four glasses.

“Legumes make you thirsty.”

The woman took a swallow and, with moistened lips, said:

“In the village, some years we ate them all winter long.”

Her husband replied:

“It’s not winter now.”

“I know.”