Peeking Under the Covers

Yes, I know. Henri Ardel doesn't look like an "Henri," but there's a good reason for that.   To begin, Henri Ardel is really Berthe Abraham. She began using a pseudonym when she began publishing her works in 1893 and chose to hold onto it until her last published book in 1934. The choice to publish under a pseudonym was not uncommon for women during this time period.    Why, you might ask?   Well, when it came to writing, this world was considered a place for men and for men to sell work, not women. Over the years, various female writers have chosen to embrace male or gender-ambiguous pen names in order to overcome that pesky obstacle of a feminine name and to attract a wider readership. Perhaps you’ll recognize the women behind the following pseudonyms:   Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, George Eliot, Arthur Stone/Chris Hansen/Andy Stack, and J.K. Rowling . As you can see, some are easier to spot than others.   As for Henri Ardel, there isn’t much infor...

Hello and welcome to those of you who have dropped by!  Before you dive into this blog, I first want to help you understand what this blog is all about. I'm new to translation, but not new to the French language. I've always wanted to try my hand at translation, particularly with literary works, since I've been writing my own books for a number of years. I've come to learn a lot about both crafts -- translation and writing fiction -- and decided to try an experiment when it comes to works found in the public domain. If you're not familiar with the public domain, then let me impart a little information to you about what it is. According to   The University of California : " No permission is needed to copy or use public domain works. A work is generally considered to be within the public domain if it is ineligible for copyright protection or its copyright has expired." But, really, it's a lot more than that.  The beauty of the public domain is that anyon...