WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — I'd never read Emile Zola's "The Belly of Paris" before the Modern Library's new translation by Mark Kurlansky, so I can't comment on the flavor or accuracy of Kurlansky's prose. But Zola's narrative itself is a grabber, taking Florent Quenu from wrongful imprisonment on Devil's Island to escape and hiding out in a Paris he no longer recognizes.
It's a combination of "Papillon" and "Stranger in a Strange Land," with Zola's contempt for the rich and their indifference to the poor furiously informing every page — agit-prop raised to the level of art by the author's invention and sense of scale and hurly-burly (much of the book takes place in and around Les Halles market.)
On another subject entirely, The Oxford Children's Classics is a good idea well executed. Among the first group of titles are "The Call of the Wild" and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." The books are in a slightly compressed format, good for small hands, and are thankfully issued unabridged. And the price is right, too: $9.95 for a hardback. No matter the format, Jack London's ending for "The Call of the Wild" can still raise the hair on the back of your neck.
In the Pipeline...
Barbara Sinatra is writing a memoir of life with Frank for Harmony ... Michael Connelly has signed a new five-book contract with Little, Brown, his publisher for his entire career ... Sugar Ray Leonard will write his autobiography for Viking.
Mike Browning's Word of the Week ...
mesonoxian: pertaining to midnight.
Scott Eyman writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: scott(underscore)eyman(at)pbpost.com.