Nana

by Émile Zola, Ernest Augustus Boyd (Translator)

Overview

Prompted by his theories of heredity and environment, Zola set out out to show Nana, "the golden fly", rising out of the underworld to feed on society--a predetermined product of her origins. Nana's latent destructiveness is mirrored in the Empire's, and they reflect each others' disintegration and final collapse in 1890.

Built around the book's scientific skeleton is a powerful, sensual atmosphere and a rich use of words which elevate the novel beyond the realistic platform into a "poem of male desires."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788726505610
Publisher:	Saga Egmont International
Publication date:	10/12/2020
Series:	The Rougon-Macquart Series: Natural and social history of a family under the Second Empire , #9
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
Pages:	212
File size:	658 KB

About the Author

Émile Zola

Helen Constantine taught languages in schools until 2000, when she became a full-time translator. Her volumes of translated stories, Paris Tales, Paris Metro Tales, Paris Street Tales and French Tales are published by Oxford University Press. She is also the general editor of a series of 'City Tales' for OUP. Her translations include Mademoiselle de Maupin by Theophile Gautier (Penguin), Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos (Penguin), The Wild Ass's Skin by Balzac, The Conquest of Plassans and A Love Story by Zola and Flaubert's Sentimental Education, all for the Oxford World's Classics. She formerly co-edited the magazine Modern Poetry in Translation with her husband, the writer David Constantine.

Brian Nelson is Emeritus Professor (French Studies and Translation Studies) at Monash University, Melbourne, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. His publications include The Cambridge Introduction to French Literature, The Cambridge Companion to Zola, Zola and the Bourgeoisie, and translations of Zola's His Excellency Eugene Rougon, Earth (with Julie Rose), The Fortune of the Rougons, The Belly of Paris, The Kill, Pot Luck and The Ladies' Paradise for the Oxford World's Classics. He has also translated Swann in Love by Marcel Proust for the series. He was awarded the New South Wales Premier's Prize for Translation in 2015.

Editorial Reviews

This rather risqu novel-for 1880 that is-tells the story of ruthless protagonist Nana's rise from the gutter to the height of Parisian society. The book's heavy allusion to sexual favors caused it to be denounced as pornography upon publication, which, of course, made it a big hit.

Library Journal

"The translation...is fluid and true to the text. The A.G. Stevens cover print is an excellent choice."—Roy Arthur Swanson, Univ. of Wisconsin

From the Publisher

Narrator Leighton Pugh's quietly expressive vocal style and relaxed pacing help listeners engage with Zola's naturalistic and expansive novel of avarice, poverty, and degradation among all the social classes in nineteenth-century France. Pugh capably meets the dual challenges of illuminating the novel's lush descriptive language and imbuing the large cast with rich vocal characterizations. Indeed, Pugh's talented narration creates an almost theatrical experience. The plot centers on Nana Coupeau, a prostitute who becomes an immediate sensation when she appears in a Parisian theater production despite her lack of acting or singing ability. The abundant male attention she then receives propels the story. A lengthy but transporting audio treat. M.J. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2019 - AudioFile

Narrator Leighton Pugh's quietly expressive vocal style and relaxed pacing help listeners engage with Zola's naturalistic and expansive novel of avarice, poverty, and degradation among all the social classes in nineteenth-century France. Pugh capably meets the dual challenges of illuminating the novel's lush descriptive language and imbuing the large cast with rich vocal characterizations. Indeed, Pugh's talented narration creates an almost theatrical experience. The plot centers on Nana Coupeau, a prostitute who becomes an immediate sensation when she appears in a Parisian theater production despite her lack of acting or singing ability. The abundant male attention she then receives propels the story. A lengthy but transporting audio treat. M.J. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2019 - AudioFile