Han Ryner

fiction

Han Ryner, Deo Optimo Maximo (1919)

September 11, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
Deo Optimo Maximo By Han Ryner L’HOMME parle: O Dieu, tu ne saurais m’entendre, et pourtant je te parle. Comme il m’arrive de parler à Hélène, à don Quichotte, à Faust, ou à quelque autre de mes fils. Mais à plusieurs de mes fils je parle en me glorifiant, car je leur ai donné le trésor d’immortalité. Toi à qui je n’ai su donner que la pauvre éternité, je te parle en humilité inquiète. O mon fils que j’appelais Père, je n’ai pas su te créer viable, et, voici que tu es mort. Lorsque je te créai Dieu, je ne […]
fiction

Han Ryner, “Duel upon Duel” (“The Penny-Pincher”) (1899)

September 10, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
Duel sur Duel (L’AVARE) Par Han Ryner LORSQUE, au bras de son mari, Mme Geneviève Serre se promenait sur l’Esplanade, grande, souple et lente, le visage vaguement éclairé d’un sourire, les jeunes gens de la petite ville suivaient d’un long regard cette statue qui marche. Us la trouvaient belle, malgré la sobriété de ses lignes, et leurs rêves émus lui faisaient une ardente escorte. Elle ignorait les désirs soulevés sur ses pas et, si elle eût deviné leur accompagnement, elle s’en fût irritée comme d’injures. Elle était restée la rougissante et irritable pensionnaire qui, ne comprenant jamais avec netteté, se […]
fiction

Han Ryner, “The Paradox” (1913)

July 21, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
ORIGINAL THE PARADOX By Han Ryner I know a country in which the inhabitants are always clothed. Beside the woman in labor, the priest and magistrate wait and, as soon as the child appears, seizing it, they enclose it entirely, hands and face included, in an elastic material which conforms to the contours of the body and which grows with it. Perhaps, despite its elasticity, the cloth resists, opposing itself to the growth, for the people of that country remain singularly small. The strange garment has holes corresponding to the eyes, nostrils, AND mouth. But it folds a bit, with […]
Contr'un

Han Ryner, “The Secret of Don Juan” (1915)

July 20, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
[I’m working my way through the translation of six shorts stories by Han Ryner, published in French in The Smart Set between July 1913 and January 1920. These initial translation are definitely rough, “working” versions, as I get better acquainted with the peculiarities of Ryner’s style. But I think even the rough renditions give a good indication of what is interesting about the works. For those unfamiliar with the Don Juan story, or who need a refresher, this will probably help.] THE SECRET OF DON JUAN By Han Ryner All of the accounts of the interview of Don Juanand the […]
fiction

Han Ryner, “The Little Exile” (1920)

July 19, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
ORIGINAL The Little Exile By Han Ryner On this heavy, stormy summer Sunday, how did I let myself be led to these noisy celebrations? Under a scorching sun, that my companions declared “almost southern,” I had stopped with the crowd at various points of the town of Sceaux and, in front of some minuscule busts, I listened to the buzz of interminable talk. Through the torpor that wove heat and rhetoric around me, some words, doubtless more often repeated, alone reached my mind. But, in the confused speeches of the orators who succeeded and resembled one another like shrill brothers, […]
fiction

Han Ryner, The Revolt of the Machines (1896)

June 3, 2011 Shawn P. Wilbur
The Revolt of the Machines Han Ryner (Published in The Social Art No. 3 September 1896) Signed Henri Ner, 1896 In that time, Durdonc, Grand Engineer of Europe, thought that he had found the principle which would soon remove any human labor. But his first experiment caused his death before the secret was known. Durdonc had said: — The primitive forms of progress involved the invention of tools that allowed the hand to no longer be scraped and scratched and lose its nails in the work that must be done. The second form of progress was the organization of machines […]
Working Translations

Han Ryner on the “Subjective” (from the Anarchist Encyclopedia)

April 17, 2011 Shawn P. Wilbur
[ezcol_2third] I suppose if the stuff that keeps me from getting important translation done is also translation of a useful sort, then my failure to stay on task isn’t quite so serious. In any event, chipping away at the entries in the Anarchist Encyclopedia is useful, and Han Ryner (Henri Ner) remains a rather under-represented voice in English. (These are working translations; all the usual cautions apply.) Subjective, Subjectivism, Subjectivity. These words are directly opposed to objective, objectivism, objectivity. The senses of the words subject and object and their compound forms are so varied in philosophy that their semantic history […]