Sir: With reference to Rayner Heppenstall's review of John Haylock's
and my translation of Philippe Jullian's Robert de Montesquiou (29 December), I challenge him to: (a) give instances of the use of the words `sensible,' mundane' and `abusive in contexts where another English word would be not merely as appropriate but more so; (b) cite any misinformation in footnotes provided by the trans- lators. If he can do' this satisfactorily, I am pre- pared either to donate £5 to the sac Benevolent Fund or to forward to him a copy of the book in the original French.
It is always safe to say that a translation is clumsy or graceless (which Mr Heppenstall did not do), since this is a matter of opinion. It is perhaps less prudent to impugn the conscientiousness and accuracy of a writer whose livelihood must inevit- ably depend to a large extent on a reputation for these qualities, unless the evidence can be produced. Francis King 17 Montpelier Villas, Brighton 1, Sussex
Previous page
