Translations of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in France (1886–2015)

Jaurès France was remarkably quick in initially translating Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . The first version came out in 1886, right after Denmark and Sweden (1885), and ahead of Russia (1888), Germany (1890), and Poland (1898). 1 There was, after that, a protracted lull of more than six decades with no new French translations while Germany, Russia, and Spain were publishing new versions, sometimes by the dozen. Long after this initial interest, two translation peaks occurred in 1948 – 1963 and 2008 – 2015, with up to three new major translations each time. The translations that are complete and meant for adults are the principal focus of this study. Even though the line between children’s and adult literatures is often blurred, all the more so in the case of Huckleberry Finn , versions published as children’s literature will not be taken into consideration here for practical reasons. 2 Those two translation peaks are marked by the coexistence of several translations, with varying degrees of importance — some being published only once, others relegated to children’s literature, while others dominate the field. Within each period, the several coexisting versions should not be considered as standalone and isolated but as interacting with the others and vying for attention, making up dynamic clusters. Within each cluster, the several different versions, publishing houses, and translators, compete for attention and readership. It is to be remarked that the sheer textual quality of any given translation is not sufficient to secure its rank as the leading translation on the market. The social and symbolic status of the publishing house, the collection of which the book is a part, and the translator’s ability to showcase their translations through a network of academic and media acquaintances, all factor in a translation’s position. This does not mean that the overall quality of the translation field is not improving, much to the contrary. French readers can currently choose from a range