The Best Translation of A Sentimental Education
A Sentimental Education was written in French. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
Robert Baldick
Penguin Classics · 2004 · 479 pages
Baldick's translation, touched up by Geoffrey Wall, holds Flaubert's deliberately flat surface better than the older versions. Wall's introduction is strong on why nothing dramatic is supposed to happen.
Every recommended edition, compared
Helen Constantine's 2016 Oxford is a touch sharper and more elegant than Baldick. Patrick Coleman's introduction is excellent on the 1848 revolution sitting under the novel.
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Reading A Sentimental Education in translation
A Sentimental Education was written in French, so unless you read French, the translator decides the book you actually experience — its register, its pace, how it sounds read aloud. Two editions of the same work can feel like different books.
The ranking above is Gröblé’s: one reader’s verdict on which English gets you closest, not a publisher’s blurb. Start with the top pick; reach for the others when you want a different angle on the original.