Translation motivation and foreword by Charles Baudelaire "Edgar Poe, sa vie et ses œuvres" to the edition of E. A. Poe's texts

Tetenova Mariya Aleksandrovna Postgraduate student, The Higher School of Translation and Interpreting, Moscow State University 119234, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, building 51 tetenova.mariia@gmail.com Other publications by this author

"Finishing the translation of the original text" does not necessarily mean "finishing the work" for the translator. After completing the translation of the text itself, the translator often proceeds to a new stage, which is important for him as a professional and craftsman: he presents his work, that is, writes a kind of accompanying commentary. A comment can have a variety of purposes, as well as forms: page-by-page footnotes, intra-text comments in parentheses, preface to the work itself, and out-of-text statements in thematic publications, programs, forums, etc. It is in these comments that researchers find the very "revelations" of translators: about how to be a translator, about their own relationships with the author of the text, about the special perception of the text or/and the author, about the difficulties they faced in doing their work, about the tools they used to overcome these very difficulties. Comments are all the more important because they become valuable artifacts for researchers studying translations and working in the field of translation studies. It is the translation comments that are the objective measure for dissecting the translation text, for criticizing it: the researcher and the reader already receive this special setting set by the translator in advance, for reading a certain translation, the reader gets the opportunity to take into account all the special things that the translator has to say, adjust their "focus". French researcher Michel Ballard emphasizes the value of translation comments:

"If we look at the history of translation and translation studies, we will see that [... It is the translators themselves who have an obsessive need to talk about their work. From Cicero to Yves Bonnefoy, from Luther to Etienne Dolet, from John Dryden to George Campbell, from Andre Gide to Vladimir Nabokov: translators do not cease to consider their work an object of study, in other words, they themselves are engaged in one of the forms of translation studies. (our translation is author's note) (French orig. Si l’on consid?re l’histoire de la traduction et de la traductologie on constate […] que ce sont les traducteurs eux-m?mes qui ?prouvent le besoin, de fa?on compulsive, de parler de leur travail. De Cic?ron ? Yves Bonnefoy, en passant par Luther, ?tienne Dolet, John Dryden, George Campbell, Andr? Gide ou Vladimir Nabokov, les traducteurs n’ont cess? de prendre leur travail pour objet de iscours, c’est-?-dire de pratiquer des formes de traductologie.) [Ballard 1992 : 273]

The prefaces of Charles Baudelaire cannot but be attributed to the translation comments that cannot be ignored. Charles Baudelaire, the famous French poet of the 19th century, worked not only on his own works, but also on translations by other authors. Translations of Sh. Today, Baudelaire is studied not only as translations made by the poet and writer, but also as prints, serifs on the way to the formation of his own poetic language directly. Of particular interest in studying the translation artifacts left by S. Baudelaire are the prefaces written by him, in which the poet-translator not only described his vision of the author's text, but also noted his own attitude towards the author, calling the American poet "the strongest pen of that time", "one of the greatest geniuses that ever existed" [Bentabet 2015: 7], assessed the style, calling E. Poe "too smart" for his time and environment ("... he wrote in a style excessively exceeding the average level of education so that he would be well paid") (our translation is approx. author) (French orig. "...il ?crivait dans un style trop au-dessus du niveau intellectual commun pour qu'on p?t le payer cher" [Baudelaire 1856 : 19]), covered his translation strategy ("I have almost nothing to say about the works of this unusual genius. The public will decide on their own opinion about them. For me, it would probably be difficult, but not impossible, to unravel his method, to explain his approach to work, especially in that part of his works where the main effect lies in thoughtful analysis.") (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. «Des ouvrages de ce singulier g?nie, j’ai peu de chose ? dire. Le public fera voir ce qu’il en pense. Il me serait difficile, peut-?tre, mais non pas impossible de d?brouiller sa m?thode, d’expliquer son proc?d?, surtout dans la partie de ses oeuvres dont le principal effet g?t dans une analyse bien m?nag?e.) [Baudelaire 1856: 28].

Sh. Baudelaire is known primarily as the author of the collection "Flowers of Evil" ("Les Fleurs du Mal"), published in August 1857. To his contemporaries, Sh. Baudelaire Natt was known as a journalist and art critic who worked for the magazine Libert? de penser, a dandy who squandered half of his father's fortune in a year and a half, after which the court ordered him a limited monthly pension of 200 francs [Natta 2017: 133], "Dante of the fallen era" (our translation – author's note) (orig. fr. "Dante d'une ?poque d?chue") [Aurevilly: 380], "tending to classicism, nurtured by romanticism" (our translation – author's note) (orig. fr. "tourn? vers le classicisme, nourri de romantisme ") [D?caudin: 402], repeatedly noted for drug use and suffering from syphilis, which will leave its mark on his work.

It was in the magazine "La Libert? de penser", where Baudelaire worked as editor—in-chief, that Edgar Allan Poe's story "Mesmeric Revelation" was published in translation by S. Baudelaire under the title "R?v?lation magn?tique" - it was this publication that marked the beginning of a series of translations by E.A. Poe. Baudelaire. It was this moment, on July 15, 1848, that is considered to be the starting point of the French poet's fascination with the American author: from that moment on, he would repeatedly express his admiration for E. Poe, as well as translate his works. According to Robert Kopp, the appearance of E. Poe's work in the life of S. Baudelaire had such a special significance that Sh. Baudelaire even abandoned his "revolutionary fever" (our translation – author's note) (French orig. La connaissance des ?uvres de Poe et de Joseph de Maistre att?nue d?finitivement sa « fi?vre r?volutionnaire ») [ Kopp: 60].

In 1856, a collection of short stories by E. A. was published. According to the translation by S. Baudelaire under the title "Histoires extraordinaires", to which the translator writes a voluminous preface divided into 4 chapters. The collection itself includes 13 short stories: "Double assassinat dans la rue Morgue" (eng. The Murders in the Rue Morgue); "La Lettre vol?e" (English "The Purloined Letter"); "Le Scarab?e d'or" (English "The Gold Bug"); "Le Canard au ballon" (English "The Balloon-Hoax"); "Aventure sans pareille d'un certain Hans Pfaall" (eng. "The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall"); "Manuscript trouv? dans une bouteille" (eng. MS. Found in a Bottle); "Une descente dans le Maelstrom" (eng. A Descent into the Maelstr?m); "La V?rit? sur le cas de M. Valdemar" (eng. The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar); "R?v?lation magn?tique" (English Mesmeric Revelation); "Les Souvenirs de M. Auguste Bedloe" (English "A Tale of the Ragged Mountains"); "Morella" (English "Morella"); " Ligeia" (English Ligeia); " Metzengerstein " (English: "Metzengerstein"). Often presented as a continuation of the story "Double assassinat dans la rue Morgue" (eng. The Murders in the Rue Morgue) the story "Le Myst?re de Marie Roget" (eng. The Mystery of Marie Rog?t) translated by Sh. Baudelaire would be published later, in the collection Histoires grotesques et s?rieuses in 1864.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), who became the object of such lively interest for Sh. Baudelaire, today considered one of the most famous representatives of American romanticism. First of all, he is known for his prose, although there are also poems, critical notes and articles by his authorship. It is worth emphasizing the course of romanticism, which influenced the formation of the author's language and style of both authors: both authors built their poetic language in the process of dissecting the romantic base given to them by the epoch.  Thus, symbolism, which would later be formed on the basis of texts including S. Baudelaire, has its roots in Romanticism: symbolism in many ways rethought the main categories key to romanticism, such as passion, understanding of beauty (aesthetics), the ego of the hero.

Sh. Baudelaire repeatedly emphasized the commonality of views on art with E.A. Poe, even despite the difference in origin and cultures: "He believed, being a true poet, that the purpose of poetry is the same as its principle, and that it should have nothing other than itself as its goal." (translation our – author's note) (orig. fr. Il croyait, en vrai po?te qu'il ?tait, que le but de la po?sie est de m?me nature que son principe, et qu'elle ne doit pas avoir en vue autre chose qu'elle m?me.) [Baudelaire 1856: 16]. About himself, S. Baudelaire says literally the same thing: "Poetry, if only you want to immerse yourself in yourself, interrogate your soul, recall your memories full of happiness, has no other purpose than itself." (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. «La po?sie, pour peu qu'on veuille descendre en soi-m?me, interroger son ?me, rappeler ses souvenirs d'enthousiasme, n'a pas d'autre but qu'elle-m?me.»)  [Baudelaire 1868:21] This is not the only example of a general analysis of the figure of E.A. Poe in the preface to "Histoires Extraordinaires": Baudelaire as a whole describes not so much the text he was working on as E. A. Poe himself, his life and his creative path, as well as the difficulties that he, Poe, I had to face:

"He believed only in the unchangeable, the eternal, the one, and enjoyed—a cruel privilege in a self-loving society! — that great Machiavellian common sense that goes before the sage like a pillar of light through the desert of history. – What would he think, what would he write, unhappy, if he heard that the theologian abolishes hell out of friendship for the human race, and the philosopher of numbers gives guarantees that for one sou per person he would abolish war — and at the same time the death penalty and the rules of spelling, these two follies following each other! – and so many other patients who record, with their ears pricked up to the wind, their whirling fantasies, as elusive as the element dictating them to them? — If you add to this impeccable vision of the truth (which was a real disease in some circumstances) the exquisite refinement of feeling, which was tormented by a false note; the delicacy of taste, which everything but the exact proportion led to indignation; an insatiable love of Beauty, which absorbed all the power of unhealthy passion; you will not be surprised that for such a a man's life became hell and that he ended badly; you will admire that it could last so long." (our translation — author's note) (orig. fr. Il ne croyait qu'? l'immuable, ? l'?ternel, au selfsame, et il jouissait – cruel privilege dans une soci?t? amoureuse d'elle m?me! – de ce grand bon sens ? la Machiavel qui marche devant le sage, comme une colonne lumineuse, ? travers le d?sert de l'histoire. – Qu'et-il pens?, qu'et-il ?crit, l'infortun?, s'il avait entendu la th?ologienne du sentiment supprimer l’Enfer par amiti? pour le genre humain, le philosophe du chiffre proposer un syst?me d'assurances, une souscription ? un sou par t?te pour la suppression de la guerre, – et l'abolition de la peine de mort et de l'orthographe, ces deux folies corr?latives ! – et tant d’autres malades qui ?crivent, l’oreille inclin?e au vent, des fantaisies giratoires aussi flatueuses que l’?l?ment qui les leur dicte ? – Si vous ajoutez ? cette vision impeccable du vrai, v?ritable infirmit? dans de certaines circonstances, une d?licatesse exquise de sens qu’une note fausse torturait, une finesse de go?t que tout, except? l’exacte proportion, r?voltait, un amour insatiable du Beau, qui avait pris la puissance d’une passion morbide, vous ne vous ?tonnerez pas que pour un pareil homme la vie soit devenue un enfer, etqu’il ait mal fini ; vous admirerez qu’il ait pu durer aussi longtemps.)

Sh. Baudelaire first discovered the American poet Edgar Allan Poe in the translation by Isabelle Meunier, published in the newspaper La D?mocratie pacifique on January 27, 1848: the short story "Le Chat Noir" was published (orig. eng. The Black Cat). Charles Asselino, a close friend of S. Baudelaire, recalls the impressions of the French poet in his book "Charles Baudelaire : sa vie, son oeuvre": "From the first readings, he was inflamed with admiration for this unknown genius, with whom he coincided in the most subtle matters. I have met few such obsessions: so perfect, so fast, so absolute. Wherever he was, on the street, in a cafe, in a printing house, in the morning, in the evening, he asked his interlocutors: "Do you know Edgar Poe?" And, depending on the answer, either fervently poured out his enthusiasm, or overwhelmed his listener with questions." (our translation – author's note.) (orig. fr. "D?s les premi?res lectures il s'enflamma d'admiration pour ce g?ni inconnu qui affinait au sien par tant de rapports. J'ai vu peu de possessions aussi compl?tes, aussi rapides, aussi absolues. A tout venant, o? qu’il se trouv?t, dans la rue, au caf?, dans une imprimerie, le matin, le soir, il allait demandant : ? Connaissez-vous Edgar Poe ? Et, selon la r?ponse, il ?panchait son enthousiasme, ou pressait de questions son auditeur.") [Asselineau 1869: 39] Baudelaire admits this himself: "I found an American writer who aroused incredible sympathy in me." (our translation is auth.) (original French: "J'ai trouv? un auteur am?ricain qui a excit? en moi une incroyable sympathie.") [Bentabe 2015: 103]

In July 1848, the first translation of S. appeared in the magazine "Libert? de penser". Baudelaire's short story by E.A. Poe "Magnetic Revelation" (English Mesmeric Revelation), and although he was not the first translator of E.A. According to him, neither his discoverer, S. Baudelaire became considered the main and most famous translator of E.A. By, and also contributed to its popularization in France. As a result of the work of Sh. The American author Baudelaire finds popularity and recognition in France, which he did not have in his native country. Despite the prevailing popularity of translations by S. Baudelaire, Edgar Poe was translated by other writers and poets: William Hughes, Francis Rabbe, Isabelle Meunier and others. However, it is Sh. Baudelaire compiled a collection of E. A. Poe's short stories in three volumes for the French public, which became crucial for the recognition of the American author. The stories presented in this collection make up about two thirds of Tales (1846), a collection published during the lifetime of E.A. Poe. S. Baudelaire translated these texts: the American poet was already dead at the time of the beginning of S. Baudelaire's work. The French poet, however, sees a special artistic kinship between them, which in his eyes explains the similarity of their thinking and perception. In addition, their life and financial situation are very similar: unhappy, poor, mired in debt and addiction, they are encouraged by their talent to look for "new" art, redefine and create it anew. Being contemporaries with a difference of 12 years, they live a short life: 40 years for an American and 46 years for a Frenchman. In France, at this moment, a revolution is taking place in the world of literature: the Parnassian school stands against the classics, declaring new values. And let Sh. Baudelaire did not consider himself a Parnassian, and Poe did not know about them at all, they nevertheless echo their theses: art should be for art's sake. Such a global coincidence of worldviews could not but leave a mark for the Frenchman, as he himself openly testifies. Literary critic Leon Lemonnier quotes him in his book:

 "What is very unusual and what I cannot help but notice is the close similarity, although not intentionally emphasized, between my own poems and those of this man, <which is> a consequence of the presence of certain temperament and atmosphere." (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. «Ce qu’il y a d’assez singulier, et ce qu’il m’est impossible de ne pas remarquer, c’est la ressemblance intime, quoique non positivement accentu?e, entre mes po?sies propres et celles de cet homme, d?duction faite du temp?rament et du climat. ») [Lemonnier: 108]

Sh. Baudelaire devoted his time and his work to translating E.A. Poe, because he discovered that the American poet and writer looked like himself, he saw in E. A. Poe "mon semblable, mon fr?re". He says this directly in his letter to Theophilus Thora in 1864: "Do you know why I translated so patiently? Because he looked like me. The first time I opened his book, I was horrified and delighted to see not only the plots I had invented, but also the phrases I had invented and written by him twenty years ago." (orig. fr. Savez-vous pourquoi j'ai si patiemment traduit Poe ? Parce qu’il me ressemblait. La premi?re fois que j’ai ouvert un livre de lui, j’ai vu avec ?pouvante et ravissement, non seulement des sujets r?v?s par moi mais des phrases pens?es par moi, et ?crites par lui vingt ans auparavant.) [Baudelaire: 123]

Leon Lemonnier finds Sh. Baudelaire is an ideal translator for a writer and poet like E.A. According to Poe, he argues that in order to "convey all the exclusivity of Edgar Poe to the fullest, it took a man equal to him in talent and whose soul would vibrate in unison with his own: and this is Charles Baudelaire." (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. "pour rendre ? Edgar Poe son originalit? enti?re, il faudra un homme qui soit son ?gal par le talent et dont l'?me accord?e vibre ? l'unisson de la sienne : Charles Baudelaire.") It is worth noting that Leon Lemonnier knew what he was talking about: he himself translated 30 essays and 30 short stories by E.A. By, which were published in his French translation only 90 years later in the 1950 edition of Classiques Garnier. So, 47 texts translated by Sh. Baudelaire, far from exhausting the work of E.A. Poe, although it was he who largely predetermined the French image of the American writer. Speaking about the special French image of E.A. Poe, it seems necessary to quote Sh. Asselino claims that most of his fans are French, while his detractors are invariably Anglo—Saxons, and attributes <responsibility for this> to Baudelaire. [Asselineau 1967: 99] The fact that Poe's "French face" turned out to be much more attractive than the English one makes us wonder to what extent the translations of S. Baudelaire may be the reason for this difference in critical opinion.

  The difference in the opinions of critics is really striking: Leon Lemonnier even cites a reader's review from the Revue Fran?aise, written after reading the preface and stories translated by S. Baudelaire: "In his preface, Mr. Baudelaire showed the American character of his author with such a force of sympathy and talent that he risks overdoing it, because so far, I admit, I have read only half of the book, and the preface seems to me the most important part, the most touching, the most humane and even the most unusual story." (our translation – author's note.) (French orig. " M. Baudelaire a, dans sa pr?face, exhib? le personnage am?ricain de son auteur avec une verve de sympathie et de talent qui risque fort de d?passer le but, car jusqu'ici, je dois l'avouer, n'ayant encore lu que la moiti? du livre, la pr?face m'en para?t le morceau capital, l'histoire la plus touchante, la plus humaine et m?me la plus extraordinaire.") [Lemonnier 1928: 155] So, having set out to make French society accept and understand the American, the French poet so invested himself in this preface that readers were sometimes so impressed that the stories E.A. Poe himself could not be compared with the penetration and empathy that the Frenchman expounded in his commentary. This sensual and painful attachment of S. Baudelaire to the American writer is fixed and cemented in the preface for the future, thanks to the translations of E.A. Poe's texts. Despite the difference in cultures and origins and the distance between them, S. Baudelaire is able to distinguish among the lines the similarity of their visions, lives, talents, and feel real admiration for the already deceased American writer. Thus, when reading the preface, their relationship seems to us as if personal, intimate, complicit, where two poets share the same views on Art, they seem to be fighting for each other. Finally, S. Baudelaire seems to identify himself with Poe, he recognizes himself in his work, and him in himself.

Let's assume that it is because of his deep affection that Sh. Baudelaire cannot allow E.A. Poe to remain an unknown writer for France. The French poet, in his correspondence with Saint-Beuve, formulates his goal as follows: "It is necessary, that is, I want Edgar Poe, who is not particularly famous in America, to become a great man for France" (our translation is author's note) (orig. fr. Il faut, c'est-?-dire que je d?sire qu'edgar Poe qui n'est pas grand'chose en Am?rique, devienne un grand homme pour la France") [Baudelaire 1932: 352] This formulation implies his perception of translation as a serious mission, where he wants to create a certain perception of E.A. Poe – the same obsequious and full of admiration, like S. Baudelaire himself, and this becomes the main narrative around the American poet. It is thanks to the work of S. Baudelaire that such a halo accompanies E. A. Poe in France, and Stephane Mallarm? writes at the beginning of the collection of his translations E.A. According to the following words: "a monument of French taste to a genius who, like our most revered masters, influenced us" (French orig. "un monument du go?t fran?ais au g?nie qui ? l'?gal de nos ma?tres les plus v?n?r?s, exer?a chez nous une influence") [Jones : 1] Thus, Paul Valery in his book "Situation de Baudelaire" also pays attention to the outstanding translations of texts by E.A. Poe. Baudelaire: "This great man would be completely forgotten today if Baudelaire had not bothered to introduce him into European literature. Let us note here that the universal fame of Edgar Allan Poe is practically absent or disputed only in his native land and in England." (fr. orig. Ce grand homme serait aujourd’hui compl?tement oubli?, si Baudelaire ne se f?t employ? ? introduire dans la litt?rature europ?enne. Ne manquons pas de d’observer ici que la gloire universelle d’Edgar Poe n’est faible ou contest? que dans son pays d’origine et en Angleterre.) [Val?ry: 20]

The Frenchman wants to introduce the American writer to the French public not only through translation, but also by presenting the personality, life and work of his American colleague in his forewords, critical notes and articles. In the preface we are considering, he describes in detail the life of E. Poe, his views on art, his family, his love, his texts, the circumstances of his death. When he gets acquainted with the texts of an American, he wants to know everything about him, despite the lack of editions of complete works: Baudelaire uses his acquaintances and receives from Americans who lived in Paris issues of newspapers in which E.A. Poe's texts were published.

Sh. In the preface, Baudelaire pays much attention to the biography of E.A. By emphasizing his intelligence and sophistication. This is also noted by Claire Hennecke in her dissertation entitled "Baudelaire the Translator of Poe": "In Baudelaire's articles and prefaces, more attention is paid to the figure of the author than to his work. For example, in the article of 1852, as well as in its revision in the preface to the "Histoires Extraordinaires" of 1856. Baudelaire offers readers a strong and expressive biographical account, and his purely literary analysis, very short, remains superficial and largely "borrowed" from various American critics, on whose articles Baudelaire was based when writing his notes." (our translation is approx. author) (French orig. <…> les articles et pr?faces de Baudelaire portent davantage sur la figure de l’auteur que sur son oeuvre. Dans l'article de 1852, par exemple, ainsi que dans sa refonte en pr?face aux HE de 1856, Baudelaire offre ? ses lecteurs une pr?sentation biographique forte et ?vocatrice, tandis que son analyse strictement litt?raire, tr?s courte, reste superficielle, et qu'elle est en grande partie " emprunt?e" ? diff?rents critiques am?ricains, sur les articles desquels Baudelaire s'est appuy? pour ?crire ses notices.) [Hennequet 2005: 17] Let's look at the preface in more detail to see how fair this conclusion is.

In the first part of the preface, which took up less than 5 pages in the 1856 edition, S. Baudelaire begins his presentation of E.A. Poe: he begins it as a writer, as a poet, presenting the reader with a picture of the posthumous trial of souls: "Not so long ago, an unfortunate man appeared before our court, on whose forehead was a rare and unusual tattoo: "No luck!" It was the label of his life that he wore over his eyes, as a book bears its name, and our research showed that this bizarre sign was cruelly true." (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. «Dans ces derniers temps, un malheureux fut amen? devant nos tribunaux, dont le front ?tait illustr? d’un rare et singulier tatouage : Pas de chance ! Il portait ainsi au-dessus de ses yeux l'?tiquette de sa vie, comme un livre son titre, et l'interrogatoire prouve que ce bizarre ?criteau ?tait cruellement v?ridique.") [Poe 1856:7] From the very first lines of S. Baudelaire presents E. A. Poe as a man who was unfairly treated by fate, who undeservedly found himself mired in the unbearable hardships of an artist's life, from the French artiste – a man of art whose subtle mental organization society does not understand and does not accept: "In the history of literature, there are similar fates, real curses, — people on whose wrinkled folds of the forehead was mysteriously written "zealous bad luck." The blind Angel of Redemption has seized them and is whipping them for the edification of others. Talent, virtue and grace are manifested in their lives in vain. Society prepares a special anathema for them and accuses them of ailments, the cause of which was these persecutions." (our translation — author's note) (fr. orig. Il y a, dans l’histoire litt?raire, des destin?es analogues, de vraies damnations, – des hommes qui portent le mot guignon ?crit en caract?res myst?rieux dans les plis sinueux de leur front. L’Ange aveugle de l’expiation s’est empar? d’eux et les fouette ? tour de bras pour l’?dification des autres. En vain leur vie montre-t-elle des talents, des vertus, de la gr?ce ; la Soci?t? a pour eux un anath?me sp?cial, et accuse en eux les infirmit?s que sa pers?cution leur a donn?es.) [Poe 1856: 7] For the word "guignon", the Larousse electronic dictionary offers the following interpretation: "Malchance persistante, en particulier au jeu", i.e. persistent (steady, diligent) bad luck, especially in the game. (our translation is author's note) So Sh. Baudelaire emphasizes the cruelty towards E.A. By a fate that constantly creates obstacles for the American poet and writer. Even the choice of words represents E.A. Poe as if he had lost in a casino, having made many attempts to win — only the final bet turned out to be life, and the attempts were aimed at gaining control over it.

The first part of the preface does not contain an objective description of the life of the American writer, we learn about it from the second part of the preface. The first part completely absorbs the representation of the French poet's attitude to his colleague, where he tirelessly highlights and emphasizes with high–flown ("I add a new saint to the list of martyrs" (our translation - author's note) (French orig. "j'ajoute un saint nouveau au martyrole") constructions that "<...> the poet cannot find a place for himself either in a democratic or in an aristocratic society, nor in a republic, nor in an absolute or moderate monarchy." (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. le po?te ne pouvait trouver une bonne place ni dans une soci?t? d?mocratique ni dans une aristocratique, pas plus dans une r?publique que dans une monarchie absolue ou temp?r?e.) [Poe 1856: 8]

Sh. Baudelaire speaks clearly and directly about the task he sets for himself in the preface to the collection of short stories: "I must write a story about one of these illustrious wretches, overly rich in poetry and passions, who, following many others, came into this world to learn the harsh lessons of genius among low souls." (our translation – author's note) (French orig. "j'ai ? ?crire l'histoire d'un de ces illustres malheureux, trop riche de po?sie et de passion, qui est venu, apr?s tant d'autres, faire en ce bas monde le rude apprentissage du g?nie chez les ?mes inf?rieures.") [Poe 1856: 8] One cannot ignore the statements full of malice and bitterness of S. Baudelaire, in which he condemns the "pedant vampire" (French orig. "p?dagogue-vampire") by E.A. Poe. The presence of such emotional statements, like nothing else, indicates a personal attachment to the translated author, a special pain for the fate of E.A. Poe, including his fate as a writer and poet: "Some dared to go further and, combining the extreme misunderstanding of his genius with the ferocity of bourgeois hypocrisy, insulted him again and again. In particular, Mr. Rufus Griswold, who, if we recall the vindictive expression of Mr. George Graham, committed an immortal meanness at that time. Poe, perhaps anticipating the imminent end, appointed Mr. Griswold and George Graham to put his works in order, describe his life and restore his memory. This pedantic vampire has been slandering his friend for a long time in a huge, flat and hateful article placed right at the head of his posthumous works." (our translation - author's note) (fr. orig. Quelques-uns ont os? davantage, et, unissant l’intelligence la plus lourde de son g?nie ? la f?rocit? de l’hypocrisie bourgeoise, l’ont insult? ? l’envi ; et, apr?s sa soudaine disparition, ils ont rudement morig?n? ce cadavre, – particuli?rement M. Rufus Griswold, qui, pour rappeler ici l’expression vengeresse de M. George Graham, a commis alors une immortelle infamie. Poe, ?prouvant peut-?tre le sinistre pressentiment d’une fin subite, avait d?sign? M. Griswold et Willis pour mettre ses oeuvres en ordre, ?crire sa vie et restaurer sa m?moire. Ce p?dagogue-vampire a diffam? longuement son ami dans un ?norme article, plat et haineux, juste en t?te de l'?dition posthume de ses oeuvres.") [Poe 1856:9] In the following phrase Sh. Baudelaire stings people even more sharply who did not appreciate the genius he associates with himself, as if Poe were the alter ego of S. Baudelaire, had he been born on another continent:

"So there is no law in America prohibiting dogs from entering cemeteries?" (our translation - author's note) (French orig. Il n’existe donc pas en Am?rique d’ordonnance qui interdise aux chiens l’entr?e des cimeti?res ?) [Poe 1856:9] And that is not the limit to the praise of E.A. Poe. Baudelaire: the Frenchman refuses to call Poe just a "talent", because "talent sells better than genius" (our translation is author's note) (French orig. "le talent s'escomplant toujours plus facilitation que le g?nie") [Poe 1856: 9] This quote does not contain the whole view of S. Baudelaire's view of giftedness as a concept: in the first part of S. Baudelaire does not ignore even the question of cultural differences and origins, presenting his vision of the role played by E.A. Poe's homeland in shaping his fate: "it is difficult to think and write calmly in a country with millions of rulers, in a country where there is neither a capital, strictly speaking, nor an aristocracy" (our translation – approx. auth.) (French orig. "qu'il doit ?tre difficile de penser et d'?crire commod?ment dans un pays o? il y a des millions de souverains, un pays sans capitale ? proprement parler, et sans aristocratie, <...>) [Poe 1856: 10] Presenting his vision of the United States of America S. Baudelaire devotes a whole paragraph: it also contains a European view of the United States ("The United States is a giant country-a child naturally envious of the old continent." (our translation - author's note) (French orig. "Les Etats-Unis sont un pays gigantesque et enfant, naturellement jaloux du vieux continent"), and comments on the US economic model ("Proud of its abnormal, almost monstrous material, material development, this newcomer to history naively believes in the omnipotence of industry.") (French orig. "Fier de son d?veloppement mat?riel, anormal et presque monstrueux, ce nouveau venu dans l'histoire a une foi na?ve dans la toute-puissance de l'industrie"), and criticism of the materialistic view of the world peculiar to Americans, according to the French poet ("Material activity, exaggerated to the scale of national mania, leaves in the there is very little place in people's minds for what is not from the earth.") (French orig. "L'activit? mat?rielle, exag?r?e jusqu'aux proportions d'une manie nationale, laisse dans les esprits bien peu de place pour les choses qui ne sont pas de la terre."); and emphasis on contrast between the perception of art by E.A. Poe and a society that was completely unable to live with him: "Poe, who came from a good family and, moreover, confessed that the great misfortune of his country was not to have a racial aristocracy, because, according to him, in a nation without an aristocracy, the cult of Beauty could only corrupt, decrease and disappear, - who saw in his fellow citizens, even in their emphasized and expensive luxury, there are characteristic signs of the bad taste of upstarts, who considered Progress, the great idea of modernity, the ecstasy of simpletons, and called improvements in the human environment scars and angular abominations" (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. Poe, qui ?tait de bonne souche, et qui d'ailleurs professait que le grand malheur de son pays ?tait de n'avoir pas d'aristocratie de race, attendu, disait-il, que chez un peuple sans aristocratie le culte du Beau ne peut que se corrompre, s'amoindrir et dispara?tre, – qui accusait chez ses concitoyens, jusque dans leur luxe emphatique et co?teux, sous les symptoms du mauvais go?t caract?ristiques des parvenus, – qui consid?rait le Progr?s, la grande id?e moderne, comme une extase de gobe-mouches, et qui appelait les perfectionnements de l'habitacle humain des cicatrices et des abominations rectangulaires, <...>) [Poe 1856: 10] Sh. Baudelaire describes the situation of the American poet with such fervor for a reason, because his life situation, both in art and financially, largely echoes his own situation. Even a pessimistic view of Progress with a capital letter is found not only in the preface to Poe's works, but also in the personal diaries of Baudelaire himself, which increases the persuasiveness of the thesis about Baudelaire's tendency to mix his personality with Poe's personality, to turn them into a kind of unified whole, which simply by the will of fate found its poetic language on different continents: "What could be more absurd than Progress, because man, as facts prove daily, is always like and equal to man, that is, he is always in a savage state." (fr. orig. "Quoi de plus absurde que le Progr?s, puisque l'homme, comme cela est prouv? par le fait journalier, est toujours semblable et ?gal ? l'homme, c'est-?-dire toujours ? l'?tat sauvage.") [Baudelaire 1868:21] Thus, the first part of the preface rather strikes the reader described by Sh . By Baudelaire, the irreparable injustice committed against Poe, an innocent poet and writer, Poe himself appears to be a genius, cursed even by his own loved ones after his death, and all this intensity of passion captures the reader from the very first page, causes empathy in him, which will later become the engine leading the reader to the second part Preface.

The second part of the preface also occupies 9 pages. It begins with a phrase describing the family of E.A. This is what sets the reader up for a short biographical journey: now he, the reader, learns the whole path of this martyr-creator, and any martyr has a childhood, parents, and hometown. It is with them that Sh begins. Baudelaire, saying that "the Poe family was one of the most respected in Baltimore" (our translation – author's note) (French orig. "La famille de Poe ?tait une des plus respectables de Baltimore") [Poe 1856: 11] We even learn about the grandfather of E.A. Poe, a participant in the War of Independence, "whom Lafayette highly appreciated and with whom he maintained friendly relations" (our translation is author's note) (French orig. Son grandp?re maternel avait servi comme quarter-master-general dans la guerre de l’Ind?pendance, La Fayette l’avait en haute estime et amiti?.) [Poe 1856: 11] Sh. Baudelaire definitely wants to present E.A. Poe as a descendant of a respected family, significant not only for the United States: "great–great-grandfather married the daughter of the English Admiral Mac Bride, who was associated with the most noble houses of England." (our translation - author's note) (French orig. "Le bisa?eul avait ?pous? une fille de l'amiral anglais Mac Bride, qui ?tait alli? avec les plus nobles maisons d'Angleterre.") [Poe 1856: 12] To create an even darker picture of the fate of E.A. According to S. Baudelaire, E.A.'s parents Poe, "... died in Richmond almost simultaneously, leaving three young children, including Edgar, abandoned and destitute." (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. "Les deux ?poux moururent ? Richmon d, presque en m?me temps, laissant dans l'abandon et le d?nement le plus complet trois enfants en bas ?ge, dont Edgar."). [Poe 1856:12] In this part of the Sh. Baudelaire does not act as a translator, but as a chronicler of the American poet's life: he represents all the obstacles that E.A. had to face. Poe, which, of course, makes him all the more a kind of outcast, even by fate itself, a hero. Such an opposition echoes the antinomy in which the writers of France lived: the young Parnassian school opposed itself to the great recognized classics (Moliere, Lafontaine, Corneille ...), declaring new values: according to the views of these literary revolutionaries, the improvement of poetic art should occur due to the depersonalization of art and its rejection of social and political obligations; art is not it must be useful or virtuous, its only purpose must be beauty; Theophile Gautier, a bright Parnassian in a defiant red vest, announces a new slogan: "Art for art's sake" - "L'art pour l'art".

Next, Sh. Baudelaire describes the life of E.A. Poe in stages: from the date of E.A. Poe's birth confused by the same Mr. Griswold to travels to England, Scotland and Ireland organized by his adoptive parents, admission to university in the USA and imminent expulsion from there, the reason for which S. Baudelaire calls "not only an almost extraterrestrial mind, but also an almost ominous abundance passions" (our translation – author's note) (French orig. <...> il se distingua, non seulement par une intelligence quasi miraculeuse, mais aussi par une abondance presque sinistre de passions, – une pr?cocit? vraiment am?ricaine, – qui, finalement, fut la cause de son exposure.) [Poe 1856: 13]. After being expelled from the university, E.A. Poe decides to go to the war for the independence of Greece from the Ottoman Empire to fight against the Turks, but his trail is lost, and in an unknown way he finds himself in St. Petersburg: without a passport, without connections, so that he has to call the American Minister Henry Middleton to avoid punishment in Russia. Here, Schiller recognizes this vague place in the biography of the American poet as unknown until now: "this gap could only be filled by himself" (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. «il y a l? une lacune que lui seul aurait pu combler») [Poe 1856: 13].

Here he also notes an event that also echoes the life of S. Baudelaire himself: "an event occurred in his foster family that had the most serious consequences for his entire life. Mrs. Allan, to whom he seemed to have a truly filial affection, was dying, and Mr. Allan married a very young woman." (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. «En m?me temps se passait dans sa famille adoptive un ?v?nement qui devait avoir les cons?quences les plus graves sur toute sa vie. Madame Allan, pour laquelle il semble avoir ?prouv? une affection r?ellement filiale, mourait, et M. Allan ?pousait une femme toute jeune.») [Poe 1856: 13]. S. Baudelaire himself was also traumatized in childhood: after the death of his father in adolescence, he was forced to share his mother with his hated military stepfather. Baudelaire also mentions a poetry collection published during Poe's lifetime: "Poe published a small collection of poems; it was truly a dazzling dawn. For those who know how to feel English poetry, they will understand that there is already something unearthly in it, calmness in melancholy, solemnity delighting the reader, prematurely acquired experience - I wanted to say, innate experience – that characterize great poets." (our translation is approx. author) (French orig. «Poe publia un petit volume de po?sies ; c’?tait en v?rit? une aurore ?clatante. Pour qui sait sentir la po?sie anglaise, il y a l? d?j? l’accent extra-terrestre, le calme dans la m?lancolie, la solennit? d?licieuse, l’exp?rience pr?coce, – j’allais, je crois, dire exp?rience inn?e, – qui caract?risent les grands po?tes.») [Poe 1856: 14]. Thus, the French poet only scatters compliments and praise in relation to the works of his American colleague, however, without giving any objective characteristics of the text with which he worked, stopping at the presentation of subjective perception. In addition, he does not provide translations of E.A. Poe's poems in this collection, which he mentions, they will appear later. By 1888, they would also be presented to the public by Stefan Mallarm?. Nevertheless, the characteristic of E.A. Poe's poetry given by S. Baudelaire allows us to compare how much the epithets he proposed echo his own view of beauty: "I have found the definition of Beauty — my Beauty. This is something fervent and sad, something a little vague, leaving room for conjecture." (our translation is author's note) (French orig. "J"ai trouv? la d?finition du Beau, - de mon Beau. C'est quelque chose d'ardent et de triste, quelque chose d'un peu vague, laissant carri?re ? la conjecture.") [Baudelaire 2004] Sh himself. Baudelaire repeatedly characterizes himself with words from the same semantic field: triste, ?nigme, g?nie, seul, pauvre... Baudelaire in the preface pronounces synonymous theses when describing texts on: "strangeness is an integral part of beauty" (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. «l’?tranget? est une des parties int?grantes du beau») [Poe 1856: 14]. Next, Sh. Baudelaire describes E.A. Poe's frustrated relationship with his publishers, about his life in "extreme poverty" (our translation is author's note) ("une mis?re extr?me"), which again echoes the position of S. Baudelaire himself. [Poe 1856: 14] So, for example, a year after the publication of the collection of poems by Schindler himself, he became the object of censure and humiliation.  Gustave Bourdain, a journalist and son—in-law of the founder of the newspaper Figaro, reacted angrily to the collection in columns on July 5, 1857: "There are moments when you doubt M. Baudelaire's mental state, there are moments when you no longer doubt; - most often it is a monotonous and deliberate repetition of the same things, the same thoughts. The odious coexists with the ignoble, the repulsive with the vile..." [Figaro] It does not seem quite appropriate to call such roll calls intertextuality, however, it is difficult to deny that the similarity of destinies, rejection by society, their cursed art brings them closer as figures, makes the poetic language of E.A. understandable to Sh. Baudelaire, 

         Speaking of understanding poetry, Sh. Baudelaire, it is impossible not to mention the case of his appropriation of the words of E.A. Poe when writing "New Notes" ("Notes Nouvelles sur Edgar Allan Poe") and an article about Theophile Gautier. Researcher Michel Brix highlights this case in his article: "[...] several pages of the "New Notes" (1857) [reach] to copy, without voicing it and without adding any comments, the text of the software called "The Poetic Principle". Is it possible to agree with Georges Walter that such a quote proves that the French poet "eventually confused himself with his brother"? Perhaps." (our translation – author's note) (French orig. "[...] plusieurs pages de " Notes nouvelles " (1857) [vont] jusqu’? d?marquer, sans le dire et sans ajouter aucun commentaire, le texte de Poe intitul? « The Poetic Principle ». Peut-on affirmer avec Georges Walter que pareille citation atteste que le po?te fran?ais « a fini par se confondre avec son fr?re » ?) [Brix 2003: 57] [Bandy 1967: 332] This is not the only case when Sh.Baudelaire "confused himself with his brother." Four years later, in the text of the 1861 article, Sh. Baudelaire writes: "Sometimes, I suppose, it is permissible to quote oneself, especially to avoid paraphrasing. Therefore, I repeat: ..." Next, after this statement, two full pages of text from E.A. Poe's article "The Poetic Principle" follow: without quotes and references to the author. It is worth emphasizing that not only the admiring and awe-filled statements of Sh. Baudelaire became an occasion to realize the peculiarities of the connection between the two figures, but this copying, which today we would safely call plagiarism, however, in this case we tend to use the expressions "mixing, connecting personalities", "intertwining with another" — this opinion is also held by Sandy Pecasten: "Translating Poe's works, Baudelaire" says in the voice of a great poet." An American writer gives a voice to a translator: an echo effect, something more than an aggregate. But the gift is mutual. Each is a guide for the other. Baudelaire is both a puppet and a ventriloquist. He conveys his own words inside Poe's ghost words, which are completely written in his native language." (French orig. «En traduisant l’oeuvre de Poe, Baudelaire « parle par la voix d’un grand po?te ». L’?crivain am?ricain donne de la voix au traducteur : un effet d’?cho, un surplus d’universalit?. Mais le don est r?ciproque. Chacun est le passeur de l’autre. Baudelaire est ? la fois la marionnette et le ventriloque. Il fait passer sa propre parole ? l'int?rieur de la parole spectrale de Poe qui (se) passe tout enti?re dans sa langue.") [Pecastaing 2014: 38] Researcher Marcel Brix, however, warns against perceiving such an intersection as evidence that harmful habits "represented [in [Baudelaire's] eyes there are valuable features": "Rufus Griswold [...] accused the writer of alcoholism. In "Artificial Paradise," Baudelaire [...] supplemented this by pointing out that Poe was also an opium addict. Should we follow the Baudelaires who claim that the French poet wanted, if not to find a predecessor, then at least to construct a model of a damned poet committing major sins in order to turn them into a challenge to society? This has yet to be proven, as well as the fact that alcoholism and opium addiction were Baudelaire's traits or qualities in his eyes. In fact, there is nothing less definite." (our translation is author's note) (French orig. "Rufus Griswold [...] accusait l'?crivain d'alcoolisme. En le reprenant, Baudelaire […] en rajoute, dans les Paradis artificiels, en signalant que Poe ?tait ?galement opiomane. Faut-il suivre ici les baudelairistes qui ont affirm? que le po?te fran?ais voulait, sinon se trouver un pr?d?cesseur, en tout cas construire un mod?le de po?te maudit qui commettait les p?ch?s majeurs pour les retourner en d?fi contre la soci?t? ? Cela resterait ? prouver, tout comme il resterait ? prouver que l’alcoolisme et l’opiomanie ?taient des traits de Baudelaire, ou constituaient ? ses yeux des qualit?s. Rien n'est moins certain, en fait.") [Brix 2003: 57] "Artificial paradise" (French orig. Les Paradis Artificiels is a book by Charles Baudelaire, first published in 1860. In it, he describes the state of drug intoxication and reflects on whether they are theoretically capable of helping humanity achieve an "ideal" world; in it, Marcel Brix does not find convincing arguments to support the theory that Baudelaire considered addiction to be some special condition or trait of the artist.

In the second chapter of the preface, Sh. Baudelaire will also mention "the first attacks of alcoholic delirium" (our translation – author's note) (French orig. «les premi?res attaques du delirium tremens») [Poe 1856: 16]. S. Baudelaire himself also suffered from addiction: opium addiction. Common places in the biography allow the Frenchman to feel like that "brother", as Georges Walter put it, able to present the best translation of the texts of the American poet. This part also presents the death of E.A. Poe and his warm relationship with Mrs. Klemm, "who tenderly healed his wounds" (our translation – author's note) (French orig. <…> la femme qui pansait ses blessures avec sa tendresse <…>) [Poe 1856: 20]. Mrs. Klemm, Edgar Poe's paternal aunt, treated her nephew like a mother, and Edgar Poe himself called her mother. Deeply impressed by the story of Mrs. Klemm's affection for Edgar Poe, S. Baudelaire places her name on the first page, dedicating his translation to her and quoting a verse that E.A. Poe himself signed "? ma m?re" – the mother.

In the third chapter of the preface, which is 6 pages long, S. Baudelaire describes in detail the manners, gestures, and features of the American poet. He gives as a description of his appearance: "despite his small stature, feminine arms and legs, his whole body bore the imprint of femininity, While he was more than strong and capable of amazing feats of strength." (fr. orig. bien qu'il ft petit, avec des pieds et des mains de femme, tout son ?tre portant d'ailleurs ce caract?re de d?licatesse f?minine, il ?tait plus que robuste et capable de merveilleux traits de force.) [Poe 1856:21] In this chapter, Sh. Baudelaire analyzes E.A. Poe's texts, but how: on the subject of love: "there is never love in Poe's novels" (our translation – author's note) (French orig. "Dans les Nouvelles de Poe, il n'y a jamais d'amour"), "in his articles he sometimes talks about love as about someone whose name makes the pen tremble" (our translation – author's note) (French orig. "Dans ses articles, il parle quelque fois de l'amour, et m?me comme d'une chose dont le nom fait fr?mir la plume."); on the way of describing women: "His female portraits are illuminated by a halo, they glow with a supernatural haze and are painted in an emphatic manner of a worshipper." (our translation – author's note) (French orig. "Ses portraits de femmes sont, pour ainsi dire, aur?ol?s ; ils brillent au sein d'une vapeur surnaturelle et sont peints ? la mani?re emphatique d'un adorateur.") [Poe 1856: 24] None of this helps us to conclude about the translation strategy of S. Baudelaire, but rather suggests awareness why the French poet pays so much attention to the details concerning E.A. Poe: his goal, most likely, is not to present his work as a translator, but to focus on how legitimate (our italics – author's note) his translation is, to what extent he, Charles Baudelaire, coincides with Edgar Poe, as far as he shares the same views, the same visions, the same positions, even (in many ways) the same fate. He does not explicitly state this anywhere, but comparative analysis makes it clear.

The fourth and last chapter occupies only 3 pages, it begins with the iconic gesture of Sh. Baudelaire: "I have nothing to say about the works of this extraordinary genius; the public will understand for themselves what they think of them" (our translation – author's note) (fr. orig. "Des ouvrages de ce singulier g?nie, j'ai peu de chose ? dire ; le public fera voir ce qu'il en pense") [Poe 1856: 28] Nevertheless, this is only a formal dismissal of responsibility for recommendation or insistence: Baudelaire then describes in widespread and ornate sentences his entire vision texts by E.A. Poe and himself – "Poe is a writer of nerves, and even something more - and the best of all whom I know." (fr. orig. Poe est l'?crivain des nerfs, et m?me de quelque chose de plus, – et le meilleur que je connaisse.), "no one, I repeat, has told with more magic about the exclusivity of human life and nature" (our translation – author's note) (French orig. «Aucun homme, je le r?p?te, n’a racont? avec plus de magie les exceptions de la vie humaine et de la nature») [Poe 1856 : 29]. Along with E.A. Poe, Baudelaire puts both Diderot, the "blood writer" (he opposes Poe, the "writer of nerves"), and Delacroix ("Like our Eugene Delacroix, who raised his art to the level of great poetry, Edgar Poe likes to create his figures on purple and greenish backgrounds, where one feels phosphorescence of decomposition and the smell of the storm.") (our translation is approx. author) (French orig. «Comme notre Eug?ne Delacroix, qui a ?lev? son art ? la hauteur de la grande po?sie, Edgar Poe aime ? agiter ses figures sur des fonds viol?tres et verd?tres o? se r?v?lent la phosphorescence de la pourriture et la senteur de l’orage.»). Undoubtedly, the fact that Baudelaire puts Poe on a par with such geniuses of France clearly indicates how highly he appreciates him: of course, he speaks about it directly, but for the sake of clarity of his understanding of the size of the figure of E. According to him, he puts well-known French outstanding people of art next to him.

The presentation of the translation itself fits into one paragraph at the very end of the preface. S. Baudelaire points out that the selected "stories" (fr. orig "contes"), "novellas" (fr. orig. "nouvelles"), critical and other articles, "the philosophical poem "Eureka"" (French orig. "po?me philosophique" (Eureka)"), poems, "an exceptionally human novel" (French orig. "un roman purement humain") were combined within the framework of this edition, but not by E.A. Poe himself. This is the first collection of translations of E.A.'s works. The software that Baudelaire publishes. Before that, he was able to publish one translation – "R?v?lation magn?tique" — in 1848. The next collection of translations of E.A. Poe's texts by S. Baudelaire will be published a year after "Histoires extraordinaires" (1856) – in 1867, under the title "Nouvelles histoires extraordinaires". 

         Surprisingly enough, Baudelaire does not, in fact, represent his work, his translation, but seems to "postpone" it for the future, promising to do so on occasion: "If, as I hope, I still find an opportunity to talk about this poet, I will present an analysis of his philosophical and literary views <...>" (French orig. «Si je trouve encore, comme je l’esp?re, l’occasion de parler de ce po?te, je donnerai l’analyse de ses opinions philosophiques et litt?raires <…>») Again, Baudelaire is not talking about translation, he is talking about Poe's personality, his views, positions, which, in Baudelaire's opinion, seem to be an analysis of his texts from a translation point of view: that is, the reader, imbued with the personality of the American writer, will undoubtedly find everything in the translation text, because his eye and ear they will already be tuned in to the very special way that Baudelaire describes throughout the 30 pages of the preface.

The end of the preface consists in a phrase that stings the general public: "I will present an analysis of his <...> works, the full translation of which has little chance of success with the public, preferring entertainment and emotions to the most important philosophical truths." (our translation – author's note) ("je donnerai l'analyse de ses <...> oeuvres dont la traduction compl?te aurait peu de chances de succ?s aupr?s d'un public qui pr?f?re de beaucoup l'amusement et l'?motion ? la plus importante v?rit? philosophique") [Poe 1856:31]. The final phrase of the preface with such a touch of elitism seems to inform the reader that there is a special text in front of him, which means that his translation can only be special, because throughout the entire preface the translator has repeatedly illustrated and proved how well he knows the author of the text.