Brian Stableford (1948–2024)
A prolific and talented translator
When Brian Stableford died earlier this year, the world lost a prolific and talented translator. I cannot think of anyone who has done more to bring early French fantastic, decadent, and symbolist literature to English readers.
I have followed Stableford since the 1990s — I think I first read him in the Dedalus Book of Decadence — and regret that I did not write to thank him while he was alive. Now that I have this blog, I can at least post a note of remembrance.
Any anglophone interested in “strange” French fiction from the nineteenth century will come across Stableford at some point because he was devoted to bringing those kinds of texts into English and back into print; he often published more than one book a month. In this interview from 2011, he explained that he wanted to accomplish as much as possible before he lost his eyesight.
Stableford leaves behind a remarkable oeuvre (375 translations by my count), and generations of readers will owe him a debt of gratitude. He has inspired me to be more diligent in my own literary labours. The night cometh, when no man can work.