The Red and the Black

Stendhal's dark, compelling tale of one man's descent into glamorous, greedy French societyHandsome, ambitious Julien Sorel is determined to rise above his humble provincial origins. Soon realizing that success can only be achieved by adopting the subtle code of hypocrisy by which society operates, he begins to achieve advancement through deceit and self-interest. His triumphant career takes him into the heart of glamorous Parisian society, along the way conquering the gentle, married Madame de Ranal, and the haughty Mathilde. But then Julien commits an unexpected, devastating crime - and brings about his own downfall. The Red and the Black is a lively, satirical portrayal of French society after Waterloo, riddled with corruption, greed and ennui, and Julien - the cold exploiter whose Machiavellian campaign is undercut by his own emotions - is one of the most intriguing characters in European literature.

“Praise for Burton Raffel's translations For Balzac's Pre Goriot "Raffel's Pre Goriot is both faithful and beautiful, and that makes it a masterpiece." -Alain Renoir "I predict that this translation will give Balzac's great novel a new life for English and American readers. . . . The definitive translation for this generation." -Peter Brooks "[Raffel's] translation has the vigor and elasticity of Balzac's style, and catches with uncanny accuracy the tone of the period." -Guy Davenport For Cervantes's Don Quijote "[Raffel's Don Quijote ] recasts the original into lively English, without losing the complexity and flavor of the Spanish. . . . This Quijote flows smoothly and reads, in fact, like original prose rather than a translation." -Adrienne Martin”

Praise for Burton Raffel’s translations

For Balzac’s Père Goriot

“Raffel’s Père Goriot is both faithful and beautiful, and that makes it a masterpiece.” —Alain Renoir

“I predict that this translation will give Balzac’s great novel a new life for English and American readers. . . . The definitive translation for this generation.” —Peter Brooks

“[Raffel’s] translation has the vigor and elasticity of Balzac’s style, and catches with uncanny accuracy the tone of the period.” —Guy Davenport

For Cervantes’s Don Quijote

“[Raffel’s Don Quijote] recasts the original into lively English, without losing the complexity and flavor of the Spanish. . . . This Quijote flows smoothly and reads, in fact, like original prose rather than a translation.” —Adrienne Martin

Henri Marie Beyle (1783-1842) had a post in the Ministry of War and followed Napoleon's campaigns before retiring to Italy. Here, as 'Stendhal', he began writing on art, music and travel. He later wrote novels, literary criticism, and various biographical and autobiographical works.Roger Gard was a Reader in English at Queen Mary & Westfield College, University of London. He has published work on Henry James and Jane Austen alongside his translations.

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