Jehanne Jean-Charles’ “Annie” at Weird Fiction Review

February 27th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

Jehanne Jean-Charles

My translation of Jehanne Jean-Charles’ story “Annie” is up at Weird Fiction Review. Jean-Charles is a forgotten female French fabulist of whom her editor, Jean-Jacques Pauvert, once said: “If she were English, she’d be read the world over.” Which is true; she’d be as beloved as Saki, or Roald Dahl (for adults). I can’t beat Adam Mill’s introduction to the story—go read it!—so here’s a snippet below:

That night, I had a dream. I got up, but saw my body still resting there beside Jacques. My chest gently rose and fell. My red hair lay spread over the pillow. I gazed on myself without pleasure, and even with a kind of antipathy. Then I looked at Jacques and found him handsome, experiencing the same feeling of mocking antipathy all the while.

Then my dream-double went downstairs and, quick and quiet, slipped outside without so much as the creak of a door.

Outside was the marten, and my double approached it. In the dream, I was madly happy to see the marten again, and begged it: “Let me live your life a while.”

 

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