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★★★★★ 4
Nice translation
Format: Paperback
It is not easy to translate poetry into poetry. It's bad enough simply trying to translate to prose. Ms. Terry does an excellent job. I read Le Roman de Renart in French while I was studying in France. Years later, I came across this translation.
It is fascinating the way the original storytellers portrayed Renart. He is a completely hateful creature. Yet reading about him is fun. It's similar to how I feel about stories of Loki or Coyote. Renart is closer to Loki than to Coyote, despite the canine ancestry. He is more than simply a trickster: he is malevolent.
If you have an interest in ancient folktales, you mustn't miss the story of Renart. This translation is different from any other I've read. The introduction gives a good perspective on the times when the stories were hatched.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2011
