J. C. Mardrus
Encyclopedia
Joseph Charles Mardrus, otherwise known as "Jean-Charles Mardrus" (1868–1949), born in Cairo, was a French physician and a noted translator. Jean-Charles's surname was originally Mardirossian, but the family shortened it to Mardrus. His family had some Armenian origins, and his relatives were so wealthy that there was actually a Mardirossian dynasty in Egypt. Today he is best known for his translation of the Thousand and One Nights from Arabic
into French
, which was published from 1898 to 1904, and was in turn rendered into English by Powys Mathers. He had five brothers, and his father helped Muslims, and befriended the khedive of Egypt, who, to thank him, decorated him as the carrier of the sublime door.
Mardrus's version of the Arabian Nights is racy, elegant, and highly readable. It is mentioned explicitly in the pages of A Remembrance of Things Past Unfortunately, Mardrus inserted a lot of imaginative material of his own, and his translation is therefore not wholly authentic, even though it is very well written and developed.
As a doctor for the French government, he worked throughout to Morocco
and the Far East. He produced other translations, some illustrated by the Swiss engraver François-Louis Schmied (1873–1941).
He married the novelist and poet Lucie Delarue in 1900. They divorced around 1915.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, which was published from 1898 to 1904, and was in turn rendered into English by Powys Mathers. He had five brothers, and his father helped Muslims, and befriended the khedive of Egypt, who, to thank him, decorated him as the carrier of the sublime door.
Mardrus's version of the Arabian Nights is racy, elegant, and highly readable. It is mentioned explicitly in the pages of A Remembrance of Things Past Unfortunately, Mardrus inserted a lot of imaginative material of his own, and his translation is therefore not wholly authentic, even though it is very well written and developed.
As a doctor for the French government, he worked throughout to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and the Far East. He produced other translations, some illustrated by the Swiss engraver François-Louis Schmied (1873–1941).
He married the novelist and poet Lucie Delarue in 1900. They divorced around 1915.
Works
- Les Mille et Une Nuits (The 1001 Nights, edited by Robert Laffont; in the Bouquins collection)
- L’Apocalypse qui est la révélation
- Le Livre des Morts de l’Ancienne Égypte
- Le Cantique des Cantiques
- Le Livre des Rois
- Sucre d’amour (1926), illustrated by François-Louis Schmied
- La Reine de Saba (1918)
- La Reine de Saba et divers autres contes (1921)
- Le Koran, commissioned by the French government in 1925
- Le Paradis musulman (1930), illustrated by François-Louis Schmied
- Toute-Puissance de l'Adepte (Le Livre de la Vérité de Parole) 1932