As ever in San-Antonio's world of cartoon violence, for me at least – although I suspect for many more readers – it's not so much the plot that matters as the way it's told, and San-Antonio wouldn't be San-Antonio if his books weren't littered with many humorous familiar and slang expressions, some of which are of course invented.
Thinking (mainly in American) cops-and-robber vein, it's obvious that 'gat' for gun is soufflant, feu, crachoir, or pétard here, 'stiff' (as in dead body) is maccabe, and 'peepers' can serve for mirettes or châsses. But I was unable to find a catch-out slang term for 'car' to match San-Antonio's traction, guinde, or bagnole; I couldn't even think of a slang word for 'bullet' to match dragée, prune or pastille.
San-Antonio is also noted for his amusing expressions and wisecracks, and in this novel we have 'The door is as full of [bullet] holes as a chestnut seller's pan'. When San-Antonio is knocked out by a gangster's truncheon, he says 'I dip my head in the angels' swimming pool'. When his boss treats San-Antonio to toast, coffee and rum in his office after his daring feats are over, the sleuth drinks a bowl of coffee, then half fills it with rum, and when his boss asks if he's gonna drink that, San-Antonio asks if he thinks gonna wash his feet in it.
This was first published in 1975, although I'm still surprised that the language is so coy: shit is described as the stuff dogs leave behind, or le mot de Cambronne, which according to the non-coy Victor Hugo in the 19th century epic Les Misérables was merde !
My Frédéric Dard posts:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Joséphine Dard: Frédéric Dard, mon père: San-Antonio
Jean Durieux: Frédéric Dard dit San-Antonio
San-Antonio: Certaines l'aiment chauve
San-Antonio: Messieurs les hommes
San-Antonio: Des dragées sans baptême
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment