[COMPLETE]La-bas (Down There) by J-K Huysmans -lz

[Newgatenovelist]

Chapter 8 is PL OK.

[unreadpages]

Here is Ch 9:
https://librivox.org/uploads/lezer/labas_09_huysmans_128kb.mp3
36:40
About halfway through a sentence occurs which does not seem to me to make sense - although I have read what is written. I'd be grateful for your thoughts on the matter. I'm sure you will know it when you hear it.
Regards
Peter

[Newgatenovelist]

Hi Peter,

I think the passage in question is:

"You know very well, messieurs," addressing Des Hermies and Durtal, "what the books teach, but within a hundred years everything has changed, and if the facts I am are unknown to the many members of the clergy, and you will not find them cited in any book whatever.

It's at 23.17-23.30. As I read this, Gevingey has not yet revealed his encounter with a succubus but is both building up to doing so and taking the measure of Des Hermies and Durtal. Perhaps he is not so wily as I'm giving him credit for, but he is positioning himself as a possessor of arcane knowledge and a superior intellect and craftsman. He's an outstanding astrologer and he's about to disclose things 'unknown to many members of the clergy', or at least that's what I think is going on at this point in the conversation.

My best guess with the grammar of the sentence is that there is a word missing after 'I am'. It could be something like 'the facts I am relating/reciting/stating are unknown to many members of the clergy'. That reading is based on the supposition that there is only one transcription error. It's also possible that the 'I am' was a page number that was scanned as letters, or that it was 'the facts that I am about to tell you are unknown', or that 'I am' or any other few characters have been transposed from another part of the text (the last has been a problem with another novel I'm PLing). If there is more than one mistake in the sentence, I don't know where they are. It's fratchy to say so, but this is one of the reasons I avoid PG texts if I possibly can.

On a very general note, 'Gehenna' seems more likely to reappear in future books than some of the obscure words in this novel. Rather surprisingly it's not been used frequently thus far, but I heard it at 30.39-30.41. I'm familiar with a different pronunciation that sounds more akin to the one you can hear here: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gehenna

Yours in pedantry,
Erin

[unreadpages]

Hi Erin,
I have had a look at the original French, and there seems to have been a line missed out.
I propose to insert the following words after "I am":
"...going to reveal to you are perfectly known to the Papal Curia, they..."
As this is my own translation of the phrase it shouldn't infringe any copyright I guess. Would this be OK?
I will also re-pronounce Gehenna.
Regards
Peter

[Newgatenovelist]

Hi Peter,

This transcription is worse than I thought!

I'm fine with that insertion. At the moment it's an ungrammatical and incomplete sentence, so I'm not certain what else can be done. I'm just glad that you care enough to look at the original to concoct a fix.
Erin

[unreadpages]

Chapter 9 reuploaded with extra phrase interpolated and Gehenna re-pronounced.
https://librivox.org/uploads/lezer/labas_09_huysmans_128kb.mp3
Duration now 36:45
Peter

[unreadpages]

Here is Sect 10:
https://librivox.org/uploads/lezer/labas_10_huysmans_128kb.mp3
18:55
Peter

[lezer]

Hi Erin,
I have had a look at the original French, and there seems to have been a line missed out.
I propose to insert the following words after "I am":
"...going to reveal to you are perfectly known to the Papal Curia, they..."
As this is my own translation of the phrase it shouldn't infringe any copyright I guess. Would this be OK?
I will also re-pronounce Gehenna.
Regards
Peter

Hi Peter,
If the text with the omission really does not make sense, as you show, I'd be in favour of adding your suggestion. If you want, you could add a line stating that ("In section x, a missing sentence in the translation was added by the reader after consultation of the original text"), but I don't think it would be absolutely necessary. Though we're threading a line, since our motto at LibriVox is that we record everything as it is written, without changes - but let's just do it this way.
Anna

[Newgatenovelist]

Chapter 9 is PL OK.

The outro of chapter 10 has 'end of chapter 9'.
Erin

[unreadpages]

Chapter 9 is PL OK.

The outro of chapter 10 has 'end of chapter 9'.
Erin

Have reuploaded Chapter 10 with correct outro
Peter

[unreadpages]

Chapter 11 uploaded
https://librivox.org/uploads/lezer/labas_11_huysmans_128kb.mp3
21:50
This one is really gross!
Peter

[Newgatenovelist]

Chapters 10 and 11 are PL OK and graphic.

I've recently learned that I'll be away for most of September. I'll still PL, no matter how depraved it gets, but I'll be slower. I'm sorry about this. However, if you would like a postcard from abroad, just let me know!
Erin

[unreadpages]

Chapter 12 uploaded
https://librivox.org/uploads/lezer/labas_12_huysmans_128kb.mp3
17:12
No problem about being away - I will also be away the first half of September and won't be able to record anything during that time.
Peter

[Newgatenovelist]

Chapter 12 is PL OK. For future reference, there were very slight (discernible with headphones, indoors, with the volume turned up) background noises that sounded like fabric rustling. Nothing significant unless it gets a fair bit louder.

That's fortuitous timing. If you're travelling for pleasure, then I hope it's everything you wish. If for work, then I still hope at least some of it proves enjoyable.
Erin

[unreadpages]

Here is Sect 13:
https://librivox.org/uploads/lezer/labas_13_huysmans_128kb.mp3
17:02
Peter