Las cartas de Francisco Ayala sobre

Traducción de 'Muertes de perro'

Traducción de Muertes de perro / Death as a way of life, Macmillan, Nueva York, 1964.

En 1959 la editorial estadounidense Macmillan contactó con Francisco Ayala para publicar en inglés Muertes de perro . Tras múltiples retrasos por parte de Ilsa Barea, la persona a la que se encargó en un primer momento la traducción, la novela vio la luz en 1964 bajo el título de Death as a Way of Life en traducción de Joan MacLean.


La conservación por parte de Francisco Ayala de este conjunto epistolar muestra la importancia otorgada por el autor a la traducción de su novela al inglés.

cartas 31 al 35 de 49
FECHA
27/05/1964
REMITENTE
Francisco Ayala
DESTINATARIOS/AS
Lee C. Deighton
DESTINO
The Macmillan Company
ORIGEN
S.l.
FICHA DESCRIPTIVA

[Carta mecanografiada]

DEPÓSITO DEL ORIGINAL
Fundación Francisco Ayala

Carta de Francisco Ayala a Lee C. Deighton (27/05/1964)

May 27, 1964

Mr. Lee Deighton

President

The MacMillan Co.

60 Fifth Ave.

New York 11, NY

Dear Mr. Deighton:

The object of this letter is to bring to your attention several facts in connection with the issue and the handling of my book Death as a Way of Life by your company. These facts, it seems to me, are detrimental to my interests as an author both from the literary and financial points of view. I must confess I was disturbed. I sincerely hope that by making you aware of these happenings similar ones could be prevented in the future.

In the first place it took almost three years, since I first handed my manuscript, for MacMillan to secure an adecuate [sic] translation of it. This is quite a long waiting period by any standards as it was apologetically recognized by Mr. Herbert Weinstock in a letter to me. Finally, the book came out, and now I have what I consider another important and reasonable complaint to make in connection with the handling of the publication both in its publicity and its distribution. The book was announced for publication on May 11, 1964. The day before, May 10, the Herald Tribune carried on its Sunday’s “Book Week” a fine review of Death as a Way of Life. On the following day, May 12, The New York Times, in its regular issue, printed another favorable feature review by Charles Poore. Then two weeks after, the Times again called attention to my novel in its Sunday “Book Review” with another piece written by a well-known critic of Spanish literature. And yet copies of the book were not available for purchase in any of the leading Fifth Avenue bookstores until May 20.

Moreover, in spite of all this very favorable critical reception, I have not seen anywhere either in daily newspapers, literary periodicals or any other media a single paid advertisement of my book by its publisher. Instead I was unfavourably surprised –and so were other people– by the fact that the back jacket of Death was used by the publisher for the promotion of a book by a different author.

All these facts put together seem to show at best a certain amount of negligence and professional carelessness.

In view of all the preceeding [sic], I am wandering what MacMillan’s policy is going to be in connection with the important matter of the paperback edition. Would you be kind enough to send me a couple of lines concerning this matter, just to reassure me? My address from next week to mid-September will be: Marqués de Cubas, 6, Madrid, Spain.

Earnestly hoping that you understand the sense of this letter, and thanking you in advance for any remedial steps that you deem to take with regard to all the above, I remain

Yours very truly,

Francisco Ayala

FA; mh


FECHA
02/06/1964
REMITENTE
Lee C. Deighton
DESTINATARIOS/AS
Francisco Ayala
DESTINO
Marqués de Cubas, 6. Madrid
ORIGEN
S.l.
FICHA DESCRIPTIVA

[Carta mecanografiada con firma autógrafa y con membrete:] THE MACMILLAN COMPANY / PUBLISHERS / PRESIDENT’S OFFICE / 60-62 FIFTH AVE. NEW YORK 11, N. Y.

DEPÓSITO DEL ORIGINAL
Fundación Francisco Ayala

Carta de Lee C. Deighton a Francisco Ayala (02/06/1964)

June 2, 1964

Mr. Francisco Ayala

Marqués de Cubas, 6

Madrid, Spain

Dear Mr. Ayala:

The facts set forth in your letter of May 27 are distressing indeed, and I am passing your letter on to the Trade Department to request an explanation.

I will ask Mr. Goldman, the manager of our Trade Marketing Division to write you concerning plans for a paperback edition.

Thank you for writing to call these matters to my attention.

Very truly yours,

Lee C. Deighton

LCD: arb


FECHA
03/06/1964
REMITENTE
Max Aub
DESTINATARIOS/AS
Francisco Ayala
DESTINO
S.l.
ORIGEN
S.l.
FICHA DESCRIPTIVA

[Carta mecanografiada]

DEPÓSITO DEL ORIGINAL
Fundación Max Aub. ©Max Aub y Herederos de Max Aub

Carta de Max Aub a Francisco Ayala (03/06/1964)

a 3 de junio de 1964

Queridos Nina y Paco:

Os deseo que no paseis demasiado calor. Aquí ando entrampado en el trabajo. La semana que viene salen unos libritos y quisiera saber donde te los mando –por correo ordinario, claro está–. Dame tu itinerario.

Supongo que habrás visto el número 52, de mayo, de Primer Acto; si no, búscalo y asómbrate como yo me he asombrado.

Sigo luchando para que me den el visado. Dime como están las cosas.

Me alegro mucho del éxito, por mi descontado, de la traducción de Muertes de perro.

Ya es hora de que nos veamos. Grandes abrazos.


FECHA
17/06/1964
REMITENTE
Daniel R. Hayes
DESTINATARIOS/AS
Francisco Ayala
DESTINO
54 West 16th Street. Apt. 4F. New York 11 N. Y.
ORIGEN
S.l.
FICHA DESCRIPTIVA

[Carta mecanografiada con firma autógrafa y con membrete:] THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 60 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 10011

DEPÓSITO DEL ORIGINAL
Fundación Francisco Ayala

Carta de Daniel R. Hayes a Francisco Ayala (17/06/1964)

June 17, 1964

Dr. Francisco Ayala

54 West 16th Street

New York, New York

Dear Mr. Ayala:

Much to my regret, I am leaving the Macmillan Company the end of the month, but I am happy to report that your novel has been put in the hands of a very responsible and very gifted editor, Miss Mary Heathcote. I am sure that she will be in touch with you very soon and you should feel free to contact her on any matters concerning the book.

I will, no doubt, be in contact with you in the near future at another location and hope to continue our valued friendship.

Sincerely yours,

Daniel R. Hayes

Senior Editor

Trade Division

DRH: akt


FECHA
17/06/1964
REMITENTE
William Luscombe
DESTINATARIOS/AS
Francisco Ayala
DESTINO
Marqués de Cubas, 6. Madrid
ORIGEN
S.l.
FICHA DESCRIPTIVA

[Carta mecanografiada con anotaciones a mano, firma autógrafa y con membrete:] MICHAEL JOSEPH LTD / 26 Bloomsbury St. London, W.C. 1

DEPÓSITO DEL ORIGINAL
Fundación Francisco Ayala

Carta de William Luscombe a Francisco Ayala (17/06/1964)

WL/MC 17thJune, 1964.

Sr. Francisco Ayala,

Marques de Cubas, 6,

Madrid,

Spain.

Dear Senor Ayala,

Thank you so much for your letter of June 12th.

We already have a blurb for Death as a Way of Life, and some biographical notes. However, we should be most grateful to you if you would send us an up-to-date photograph of yourself, for reproduction in the Press as well as on the jacket and in the Book Trade Press: free of copyright fees, please.

Yours sincerely,

William Luscombe

[Escrito a mano:] Did we meet at the Frankfurt Book Fair last year?