The Complete Fables Of Jean De La Fontaine

Inspired new translations of the work of one of the world's greatest fabulists Told in an elegant style, Jean de la Fontaine's (1621-95) charming animal fables depict sly foxes and scheming cats, vain birds and greedy wolves, all of which subtly express his penetrating insights into French society and the beasts found in all of us. Norman R. Shapiro has been translating La Fontaine's fables for over twenty years, capturing the original work's lively mix of plain and archaic language. This newly complete translation is destined to set the English standard for this work. Awarded the Lewis Galantière Prize by the American Translators Association, 2008.

In this wonderful, vigorously contemporary translation, Craig Hill has captured the liveliness, satiric wit, and poetic beauty that made Jean de la Fontaine famous during his lifetime and his Fables celebrated as a masterwork of world literature ever since. Despite la Fontaine’s deceptively modest claim that all he intended was to put the moral tales of Aesop and other ancient fabulists into poetry for the pleasure of Louis XIV’s young son, his real accomplishment, as later generations have understood, was holding a mirror up to the society of his day and, in the process, fashioning a work that has become a classic. Borrowing from a variety of sources, la Fontaine gave the hitherto mute animals in ancient fables the power of speech. Backstabbing politicians, brainless nincompoops, charlatans, clueless heads of state, egomaniacs, empty-headed celebrities, foolish investors, gluttons, liars, penny–pinchers, self-important blowhards, and wastrels—these are the targets of la Fontaine’s pen. In this beautifully bound collector’s edition, Craig Hill has given us a rare treat: both the irreverent spirit and the vivid poetry that have made la Fontaine’s fables beloved through the ages, continuing to amuse and inspire centuries after they ?rst appeared in print.

"The English-speaking reader will typically find selections of translated fables by La Fontaine (1621-1695), and a large number of those stray rather far from the original in an effort to retain the poetic flavor of the genre. Other translations, treating the fables as reading matter for followers of Winnie the Pooh, do not retain the subtle overtones and wit intended, in fact, for educated adults. This translation remains extraordinarily faithful to the original not only in metrical patterns and rhyme schemes but also in tone: wit and le mot juste are skillfully and wonderfully combined. This is no small achievement, and we can now enjoy the grace, wit, and versatility of an author whose literary qualities were, until now, evident only in the original."-- Danielle Mihram, New York University Library.

Charming and elegant, Jean de La Fontaine's (1621-1695) animal fables depict sly foxes and scheming cats, vain birds and greedy wolves, all of which subtly express his penetrating insights into French society and the beasts found in all of us.

First published in the year 1886, the present book titled 'The Fables of La Fontaine' is a collection of Jean de La Fontaine's stories accompanied by his short bio and a few essays about him.

With their unique blend of wit and poetic mastery, the verse interpretations of Aesop’s Fables by 17th-century author Jean de La Fontaine have enchanted readers of all ages for over three centuries. 70 popular and oft-quoted fables appear here, including "The Grasshopper and the Ant," "The Town Rat and the Country Rat," "The Fox and the Grapes," "The Hare and the Tortoise," and dozens more. A classic of French literature; brilliantly translated by Walter Thornbury into English verse.

A heavily illustrated reprint of a 1927 edition of La Fontaine's fables contains the original French verses and new English translations of such tales as "The Crow and the Fox" and "The Heron."

Stories with deep wisdom, gentle satire, polite cynicism, and, above all, irresistible humour.