Lost in Translation

I was fortunate to be able to travel to France recently. Although my book browsing consisted of looking in shop windows of all the “Librairies”, or bookstores, I was rather surprised to see very few familiar American authors. Given the prevalence of American pop music playing in the background in French stores and cafes, the lack of American books in translation seemed a little odd. Also, the French authors and books were completely new to me. Do the French and the Americans like different kinds of books? Are works of literature too expensive to translate? Exceptions to this very unscientific look at the French book market are the Harry Potter books in most stories, and one elegantly dressed woman spied on the Metro with a French copy of a Nora Roberts novel.

-Jeanne