Re: CHAT: Opperlands

From Http://Members.Aol.Com/Lassailly/Tunuframe.Html wrote:

> "Le Tombeau de Marot" ? What a strange name. What is the connection with
> artlang ? It seems very interesting.
It is focussed on a collection of translations of the poem
"Ma mignonne" by Clement Marot (fl. 16th century), mostly into
English, in a huge variety of styles.  ("Tombeau" here has the sense
"memorial anthology", as in "Le Tombeau de Couperin", a musical piece
by Ravel.)  The cover illustration is a tombstone with "Ma mignonne"
inscribed on it, overlaid with the full title "Le Ton Beau de Marot",
presenting a verbal/visual pun.

But most of the book is a discussion of the complex art
of artistic translation ("translating poetry into poetry", e.g.)
All such translation is a re-creation of the source language in
the target language, and as such related to the aspirations of
artlangers.

In particular, there is a whole chapter about the novel _La disparition_,
which is written in a version of French without the letter "e".
(This was inspired by an earlier novel _Gadsby, written in English
without "e".)  Amazingly, there are now translations of _La disparition_
into e-less English (called "A Void") and even German!  The Poul
Anderson piece that I have posted here (on atomic energy, using only
native English words, with no French, Latin, or Greek borrowings) is also
discussed.  And there are many other wonderful things!

Get it, read it.

--
John Cowan      http://www.ccil.org/~cowan              cowan@ccil.org
        You tollerday donsk?  N.  You tolkatiff scowegian?  Nn.
        You spigotty anglease?  Nnn.  You phonio saxo?  Nnnn.
                Clear all so!  'Tis a Jute.... (Finnegans Wake 16.5)