A translation of Michel Serres’ Variations sur le corps (Paris: Le Pommier, 1999) by Randolph Burks.
A Letter from the Translator Dear Reader, I had no plans to write a Translator’s Preface for this piece. But while unsuccessfully shopping this translation around, I had to write a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of its contents (the shopping around was unsuccessful due to the costs associated with its ninety-two illustrations). Again, I hadn’t planned on writing a translator’s preface, let alone using this synopsis as such. But there it was on my computer, idle, not doing anyone any good, so I thought it might prove useful to you, by way of introduction. Though a synopsis, many themes aren’t discussed – perhaps the one you find most interesting. My apologies. But first, I’d like to tell (warn) you about my translation philosophy: