Another great Victorian translator was Arthur Waley who translated the Tale of Genji and lots of Chinese poetry without ever having visted Asia. Its absolutely mind boggling to me, having barely learned a few languages how one would tranlate from handwritten kanji scrolls with no reference materials or even bilingual dictionaries.
gwern•1h ago
zabzonk•1h ago
ggm•55m ago
It beggars belief a man who was into data collecting about prostitution and homosexuality, and who helped publish extensive pornographic works to a cogniscenti married a prude, and came to jesus at the last. But the thing is, he DID marry a prude. And he DID publish works which at the time were beyond the pale, and he DID explore the darker corners of british army life in the middle east and India. The only conjecture here is the deathbed confession of faith.
He wrote memoirs, for sure. "Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Medinah and Meccah" I mean, thats not objective writing by title-intent, is it.
gwern•41m ago
ggm•57m ago
The thing is, I enjoyed it so much I've been reluctant to read any more recent work, because I don't particularly NEED my illusions shattered. But I have no doubt more could (and has) been said.
Lord Byron got the soubriquet "mad, bad and dangerous to know" and I think it might have applied to Burton more.
I have often wondered what made Philip Jose Farmer chose him as an eponymous hero in SciFi, and what it says about PJF.
https://archive.org/details/devildriveslifeo0000brod_k9h9