New-York tribune., 1900-09-02
"PRINCE OTTO"
UNIQUE VERSION OF sTEvENsONs
CHIEF O. WORKS"

/ future, IS Prince Otto" The dramatiZation of
the story has given a new flip to public inter
est in it, and the impending performances will
doubtless gain it many more readers, at the
same time that they excite the concern of loyal
Stevensonians. A version of Prince Otto" of
moment to and old readers alike has lately
fallen into our hands. It is the French transla-
ton made by Mr.. Egerton Castle, the novelist 1t
exists in two forms, one handsome and substan-
| tial, bearing the imprint of an English pub
Usher; the other issued by a Partisan house in
/ the traditional covers of yellow paper. The
translation is, however, practically unknown in
/ this country. 1t ought to be made more familiar
here for reasons easily explained. even if they
/ are not naturally TO be inferred from some of
the authors words.
He fond of the book and his published
correspondence contains more than one testi-
mony to this effect, besides illusions to it's quail
/ ties. Writing TO Mr.. Covin. he calls it my
chief o works." and in letter to Mr.. Henley,
in which he speaks of it by the titles first float
ing in his mind-"The Forest State or The
Greenwood State: A Romance''-he observes; TT
is my old Semiramis, our half-seen Duke and
Duchess, which suddenly sprang into sunshine
clearness as story the other day" "A brave
story, I swear" he continues, and speaks Of the
quality in it, 'as I now see it, of a kind of
crockery, eighteenth century high-ufe- below
stairs life, breaking up like ice in spring before
the nature and the certain modicum Of
hood Of my poor, clever feather-headed Prince,
whom love already" In the same letters he de-
clares: 20 Lord, it's going to be courtly! And
there is not an ugly person nor an ugly scene in
it" To Mr. ColVin he says that the whole thing
is not a romance nor yet a comedy; nor yet
romantic comedy: but kind of preparation Of
some of the clements of all three in a glass jar
He wrote it in his best most characteristic.
T2,,r do
words Of his suggest precisely the material and
spirit to the treatment Of which the genius of
the French language is also fitted The reader
who has any doubts viii speedily relinqush
them on a perusaI Of Mr.. Castles translation
This has the curious interest that would at
tach TO any work by an Englishman turned
by another into a language different from that
native to both. But lie Roman du Prince
Othon'' has a higher value in that it was pro-
duced by a man of letters not only learned in
French but himself a novelist after Steven
sons own heart The Pride Of Jennlco,
Young ApriI' and The Bath Come1 1y" are
wholly original productions They We're not
even remotely foreshadowed by Prince Otto"
as for example The Prisoner of Zenda was
more than foreshadoWe ed by that book. But
they are brmming over with just that buoyancy
and charm which Stevenson had IN mind when
ne wrote Of his personages sprinSinS suddenly
into sunshine clearness." The sunshine Of ro-
nance is one of Mr.. Castles own gifts. another
is his sympathy for that quality to which he
refers in the preface to his translation as in
separable from Prince Otto the quality de-
scribed as "rococo 20 Lord. its going TO be
courtIvr- saws Stevenson: and elsev here, in
DELIGHTFULLY."- playful passage disclaim!ng any
pretence to accuracy in the seamanship Of
Treasure Islan1." he adds. The next thing /
shall hear is that the etiquette IS wrong in
Otto's court With a warrant. and I mean il
10 be so never crossed the threshold
Of court: and the courts shall be the way I
want en-" He wanted Prince Otto's court TO be
rocco" He made it so, TO the joy Of every
reader who feels the exquisite artifce-as Of
French painter of the eighteenth century-iE his
best book. and Mr Castle interprets his mood
with a sympathy as corsummate as the skill
with which he has put Stevenson's English into
French.
1t is this transference Of the spirit we'll
as the sense of the book which makes the trans
lation of so much interest because it thrusts
guesswork aside and proves how reasonable
those have been who have wished to see the
story in French The debonair, "ivacious ee-
gance which is captivating in the original
the more captivating because it is deftly har-
monized with the rocco stateliness still potent
in Otto's self-imperiIIed regime-wears with the
grace Of nature the brilliant garment Of French
prose SteversOn's style Mr.. Castle
remarks. 'un peu precieuse" Sometimes this