Breandan O Doibhlin's capacity for bringing us the best of French literature knows no bounds - Pascal, Le Fontaine, and now Le Petit Prince by Saint Exupery. The original has a unique evanecsent charm, the style alternating between childish ingenuousness and adult self-assurance. O Doibhlin's translation does not quite capture this. His choice of words is more "recherche" at times, his dialogue less enticing; the style, though personable, is flatter and less quirky than the French. Nevertheless, this is a very attractive book, and the translation does indeed capture the substance of the original, competently and accurately. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only time the motif of the lone aviator has appeared in Irish.
Liam Mac Coil
