We had a false alarm earlier this month with DIE FOR ME’s French book birthday, but it has been confirmed that today, May 23, is…the BIG DAY!!!

Me with Plus Encore Que La Vie

Today you can walk into any bookstore in France and find a copy of PLUS ENCORE QUE LA VIE, the French version of DIE FOR ME! (At least, I hope you can. I haven’t actually tried it yet, but will get a picture when I do.)

And here it is in all of its rose-hued swirly glory. As I mentioned before, the title is taken from a Baudelaire poem. (As are the titles of Books 2 and 3!)

To practice your French, here it is – from the book “Les fleurs du mal”:

SEMPER EADEM

D’où vous vient, disiez-vous, cette tristesse étrange,
Montant comme la mer sur le roc noir et nu ?
-quand notre cœur a fait une fois sa vendange,
Vivre est un mal. C’est un secret de tous connu.

Une douleur très-simple et non mystérieuse,
Et, comme votre joie, éclatante pour tous.
Cessez donc de chercher, ô belle curieuse !
Et, bien que votre voix soit douce, taisez-vous !

Taisez-vous, ignorante ! âme toujours ravie !
Bouche au rire enfantin ! Plus encore que la Vie,
La Mort nous tient souvent par des liens subtils.

Laissez, laissez mon cœur s’enivrer d’un mensonge,
Plonger dans vos beaux yeux comme dans un beau songe,
Et sommeiller longtemps à l’ombre de vos cils !

Since I’m sure your French is already perfect, I will just translate the most important bit:

Plus encore que la Vie,
La Mort nous tient souvent par des liens subtils.

Even more than life,
Death often holds us by subtle bonds. (translated Amy Plum)

Or…if you want something prettier:

Still more than Life,
Death holds us frequently with subtle bonds. (translated William Aggeler)

or

Death pulls us, more than life, with subtle wile. (translated Roy Campbell)

Kind of appropriate, non?

Happy book birthday to PLUS ENCORE QUE LA VIE, which is finally not only available in my adopted country, but available in the adopted city of Kate, Vincent, Jules and the rest of the kindred. I wonder if they’ll buy a copy.

(To find out more about PLUS ENCORE QUE LA VIE and read extracts of the book in French, go to Macadam’s site: here.)