Robert André Edouard Baldick,

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

(9 November 1927 – April 1972), was a British scholar of

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by French people, French citizens; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of Franc ...

, writer,

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

and joint editor of the

Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint (trade name), imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English language, English, Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese, and Korean language, Korean amon ...

series with

Betty Radice Betty Radice (3 January 1912 – 19 February 1985) was a literary editor and translator. She became joint editor of Penguin Classics, and vice-president of the Classical Association. She produced numerous English translations of classical and med ...

. He was a Fellow of

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...

. He wrote eight books including biographies of

Joris-Karl Huysmans Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel (1884, pub ...

Frédérick Lemaître Antoine Louis Prosper "Frédérick" Lemaître (; 28 July 1800 – 26 January 1876) was a French actor and playwright, one of the most famous players on the celebrated Boulevard du Crime. Biography Lemaître, the son of an architect, was ...

and Henry Murger and a history of the Siege of Paris. In addition he edited and translated '' The Goncourt Journals'' and other classics of French literature including works by

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

, Chateaubriand,

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

, and

Henri Barbusse Henri Barbusse (; 17 May 1873 – 30 August 1935) was a French novelist, short story writer, journalist, poet and political activist. He began his literary career in the 1890s as a Symbolist poet and continued as a neo-Naturalist novelist; i ...

, as well as a number of novels by

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 ...

. His sons are Julian Baldick, an author specialising in Sufism, and English academic

Chris Baldick Professor Chris Baldick (born 1954) is a British academic who teaches at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He has worked in the fields of literary criticism, literary theory, literary history and literary terminology. He was previously Se ...

Selected bibliography

* ''The Life of Joris Karl Huysmans''. (Oxford University Press, 1955; new edition revised by Brendan King, Dedalus Books 2006) * ''Dinner at Magny's'' (Victor Gollancz, 1971) * ''The Life and Times of Frédérick Lemaître: Actor, Lover and Idol of Paris'' (Hamish Hamilton, 1959) * '' Against Nature'' (Penguin Classics) by Joris-Karl Huysmans (translator; Penguin, 1959) * ''The Goncourts'' (Bowes and Bowes, 1960) * ''The First Bohemian: The Life of Henry Murger'' (Hamish Hamilton, 1961) * ''The Memoirs of Chateaubriand '' (editor & translator; Hamish Hamilton, 1961) * ''Three Tales'' (Penguin Classics) by Gustave Flaubert (translator; Penguin, 1961) * ''Pages from the Goncourt Journal'' (editor & translator; Oxford University Press, 1962 & The Folio Society, 1980) * ''Centuries of Childhood'' by Philippe Aries (translator; Jonathan Cape, 1962) * ''Cruel Tales'' (Oxford Library of French Classics) by

Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (7 November 1838 – 19 August 1889) was a French symbolist writer. His family called him Mathias while his friends called him Villiers; he would also use the name Auguste w ...

(translator; Oxford University Press, 1963) * ''The Battle of Dienbienphu'' by

Jules Roy Jules Roy (22 October 1907 – 15 June 2000) was a French writer. "Prolific and polemical" Roy, born an Algerian pied noir and sent to a Roman Catholic seminary, used his experiences in the French colony and during his service in the Royal Air F ...

(translator; Harper Row, 1963) * ''The Siege of Paris'' (Batsford, 1964) * ''Sentimental Education'' (Penguin Classics) by Gustave Flaubert (translator; Penguin, 1964) * ''The Duel: A History of

Duelling A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in t ...

'' (Chapman and Hall, 1965) * ''

Nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...

'' (Penguin Modern Classics) by Jean-Paul Sartre (translator; Penguin, 1965) * ''

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

'' by Henri Barbusse (translator; Chapman & Hall, 1966) * ''The Trial of

Marshal Pétain Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...

'' by Jules Roy (translator; Faber, 1968) * ''

Around the Moon ''Around the Moon'' (, 1869), also translated as ''Circling the Moon'' and ''All Around the Moon'', is the sequel to Jules Verne's 1865 novel, ''From the Earth to the Moon''. It is a science fiction tale which continues the trip to the Moon that w ...

'' by

(translator; J. M. Dent & Sons, 1970) * ''Dreamers of Decadence: Symbolist Painters of the 1890s'' by

Philippe Jullian Philippe Jullian (real name: Philippe Simounet; 11 July 1919 – 25 September 1977) was a French illustrator, art historian, biographer, aesthete, novelist and dandy. Early life Jullian was born in Bordeaux in 1919. His maternal grandfather was ...

(translator; Pall Mall Press, 1971) * ''

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

'' by

Pierre Louÿs Pierre-Félix Louÿs (; 10 December 1870 – 4 June 1925) was a Belgian poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who sought to "express pagan sensuality with stylistic perf ...

(translator; Panther, 1972)London: Panther. .

Footnotes

1927 births 1972 deaths English translators Fellows of Pembroke College, Oxford Jules Verne 20th-century British translators 20th-century French novelists 20th-century British male writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Penguin Books people British speculative fiction translators {{UK-translator-stub

Selected bibliography

See also

Footnotes