French literature in English

       At The Spectator's Books blog Florence Uniacke looks at Doing it the French way, a weird amalgam of observation and critique about how little French literature finds its way into English.
       Lots of dubious stuff, beginning with the claim that:

A staggering 40 per cent of books published in France have been translated from English.

       I'd love to see the data -- and definition of 'book' -- behind that, because I sure as hell have my doubts. Maybe in a small category of adult fiction ... but even then ..... (In the broadest category of 'books' there's barely a country where the vast majority of titles aren't in the local language -- but most of those aren't books you'd find in your local bookstore either.)
       The specific titles she mentions are under review at the complete review, such as Laurent Binet's HHhH.
       Others are found with accompanying pearls of wisdom, such as:

It's not hard to believe that an English translation of The Roving Shadows by Pascal Guignard, winner of the Prix Goncourt in 2002, which was described as 'a sequence of beginnings of novels, stories, landscapes and autobiographical fragments', sold hardly any copies.

       No, it's not hard to believe -- if someone writing about them can't even get the author's name right (it's Quignard) .....
       And she suggests about Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones:

The dual nationality, the prize and the subject matter made this a sure fire hit in the UK and yet it got very mixed reviews.

       The fact that nationality, prizes, and subject matter are all externalities that have little to do with the quality of a book (and that Littell's book had very little quality) goes unmentioned.
       Yes, all in all a rather unimpressive piece of commentary or reporting or whatever it's supposed to be.