KATHERINE MANSFIELD AND FRANCE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 918, 15 March 1957, Page 11

KATHERINE MANSFIELD AND FRANCE

Sir,-Having raised academic eyebrows at the cataract of errors in the French extract quoted in Mr Middleton’s article on Katherine Mansfield (Listener, February 1), I consulted the Nouveau petit Larousse (1952 edition) myself. But Mr Middleton has quoted Larousse with scrupulous accuracy, errors includedand there are at least five, including one in French grammar. A letter has already gone to the French publishers suggesting corrections for future editions. (A similar step was taken successfully some years ago, to ensure that the Kiwi was described as native to New Zealand, not Australia.) At the same time Mr. Middleton can scarcely have seen in Paris bookshops those odd titles that he quoted, for two reasons: Bliss appeared in French as Félicité (without any article); and Prélude (also no article) has never appeared separately in French, as far as I am aware, but figures in the same volume. I, possess the original French editions (both 1932) of Félicité and of La Garden-Party (article correct this time). It may be of interest to add that La Garden-Party was re-published when I was in France last year in the popular series of publications called Le Livre de poche, which corresponds roughly to the English Penguins. Extracts from the Journal, the Letters, and other stories have also appeared in French. The question of "K.M. and France" is too large to be discussed here. The best synthesis, as far as I know, is still the one by P. Citron that appeared some 16 years ago in the Revue de littérature comparée. In spite of Citron’s well documented article the appearance of La Garden-Party in such a popular and comparatively cheap form rather gives the lie to his statement that the French are "beginning to forget K. Mansfield."

A. C.

KEYS

(Auckland).