JK Rowling's 'Legion d'honneur' acceptance speech
Yesterday we told you that JK Rowling had been bestowed the title of "Knight" and inducted into France's prestigious "Legion d'honneur," the ceremony for which took place in Paris' Elysee presidential palace. French president Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed the author into the Legion, and Jo then made a speech in French (pictures, video).Below is the full translation of Jo's speech (thanks to Clementine):
Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, please forgive my accent and all the
grammar mistakes that I am about to make. My French is rusty, although I
taught it in Scotland many years ago - but I remember enough of it to be
ashamed of my mistakes. First I would like to thank you from the bottom of
my heart for granting me this distinction - it is both extraordinary and
unexpected. I cannot say I think I truly deserve it, but the Legion
d'Honneur has a very special and personal significance to me, as I shall
soon explain. That said, the perspective of visiting the Elysee [the
Presidential palace] and of meeting the President [Nicolas Sarkozy] was
enough to convince me to take on your invitation. I am particularly glad to
obtain this medal in front of young French fans, for their deep attachment
to the series and their many letters have made me happy for years.
As I told you, the Legion d'Honneur carries very special and personal
connotations in my life. My great-grandfather was a Frenchman; his name was
Louis Volant, and he obtained the Legion d'Honneur in 1924 for his courage
in Verdun. Evidently, my own merit is in no way comparable to the bravery
of someone who would sacrifice his life or endure severe injuries in the
name of freedom and justice. However, Louis is an ancestor that I have
always been proud of. I would like to believe that he would be happy to
know there is a second Legion d'Honneur in the family, and that the books
written by his descendent have been enjoyed in his native country. I would
like to take advantage of this opportunity to express my gratitude to
Gallimard [French publisher of HP series]; thank you for supporting Harry
and her creator. Gallimard was the first foreign publisher of the Harry
Potter books, thus holding a very special place in my heart. I would also
like to thank my French readers for not resenting me for giving a French
name to the villain in my books. I can assure you no anti-French feeling is
the reason for this choice. I am a francophile and have always been proud
of it, but I needed a name evoking both power and exoticism. Sadly, I have
to tell you that Voldemort himself is 100% English. I doubt that any of my
next books will ever have the success of Harry Potter, which went beyond my
wildest dreams. I am very happy with this success and my greatest pride is
to think that thanks to Harry, children have discovered the pleasure of
reading. I will never forget the years when the books were published. They
were the most extraordinary years of my life and an evening like this
confirms, once again, the magical transformation that Harry Potter has
performed in the life of her author. Mr President, thank you again for this
immense honour. It will be a very precious memory for me, as will this
beautiful evening. Thank you.
connotations in my life. My great-grandfather was a Frenchman; his name was
Louis Volant, and he obtained the Legion d'Honneur in 1924 for his courage
in Verdun. Evidently, my own merit is in no way comparable to the bravery
of someone who would sacrifice his life or endure severe injuries in the
name of freedom and justice. However, Louis is an ancestor that I have
always been proud of. I would like to believe that he would be happy to
know there is a second Legion d'Honneur in the family, and that the books
written by his descendent have been enjoyed in his native country. I would
like to take advantage of this opportunity to express my gratitude to
Gallimard [French publisher of HP series]; thank you for supporting Harry
and her creator. Gallimard was the first foreign publisher of the Harry
Potter books, thus holding a very special place in my heart. I would also
like to thank my French readers for not resenting me for giving a French
name to the villain in my books. I can assure you no anti-French feeling is
the reason for this choice. I am a francophile and have always been proud
of it, but I needed a name evoking both power and exoticism. Sadly, I have
to tell you that Voldemort himself is 100% English. I doubt that any of my
next books will ever have the success of Harry Potter, which went beyond my
wildest dreams. I am very happy with this success and my greatest pride is
to think that thanks to Harry, children have discovered the pleasure of
reading. I will never forget the years when the books were published. They
were the most extraordinary years of my life and an evening like this
confirms, once again, the magical transformation that Harry Potter has
performed in the life of her author. Mr President, thank you again for this
immense honour. It will be a very precious memory for me, as will this
beautiful evening. Thank you.
Posted by Ciaran on Feb 4th |
28 Comments
Visitor Comments
way to go Jo! that must mean alot to her! wow am i first?
Jo speaking French, it's quite attractive. Such a talented person. Congrats Jo, you deserve it. x
yay, Jo!
that was a very nice speech
That's so awesome! She deserves it. :)
Of course she deserves it! I'm glad she received the "L
I'm glad she received the "L
(Sorry for my triple post, it's because of my French keyboard) I was saying: I'm glad she received the "Legion d'Honneur" from our country and from our small President Sarkozy! ;-) Way to go Jo!
i never knew jo could speak french, but that's really cool (: congrats on the reward, jo! she definitely deserves it.
She deserves this so so much :D ... And the speech was so good :D ... Congratulations to her :D
awww go jo!
Je n'est pas Francias, mais je c'est en un classe de Francias pour les troi annes. L'accent de JK Rowling est bien! "I'm not French, but I've been in a French class for three years. JK Rowling's accent is great!" Anyway, way to go, Jo! Just another award to add to your Dungeon of Trophies, Prizes, and Other Awards That Harry Potter Has Won Me. XD
Les fran
??? Why doesn't MuggleNet accept any accented letters? Ah well - I'll get rid of those! Les francaises (et les canadiens) aiment Jo! I
Whoa, that speech was really great. The end kinda made me get teary-eyed. It made me stop and think when I read, "I doubt that any of my next books will ever have the success of Harry Potter." It makes me sad to think about that, but she could be right... but of course whatever she writes next will be completely amazing, because she is an amazing author. Go Jo!
Despite Jo's apologies for her French, it was quite good. Congratulations to her! And thank you so much to Clementine, who translated the speech - it was an excellent translation!
Wow! My French teacher told me that this is seriously the greatest honor that the French government can give a person! Just goes to show how much of an impact her books have made on the world ... but I would really like to hear Sarkozy's speech translated, unless its just formalities and stuff. I liked Jo's speech, but maybe Sarkozy said something interesting as well??
bow_to_death appears to need another 'troi annes' to be honest. high five jk!
yay jo! the new "French Knight" lol :)
I didn't know Jo could speak French! I'm learning French 1 in high school now. Voldemort is a french name? lol i thought she completely made it up! unless she's talking about Tom Marvolo Riddle?
Very beautiful and revealing speech!!! (Voldermor french name, and she can speak french too?? WHAT A GENIUS !!) Congratulations Jo!!!! You deserve the best for giving so much people so much joy when reading your books.
This is a wonderful speech! Though I don't know if it was just me but it seems rather depressing.
Yes, Voldemort is french. "Vol" is I believe flight or flee, "de" is from and "mort" is of course death. Therefore "vol-de-mort" means "flee/fly from death" - appropriate given his lust for immortality. Congratulations Jo!
hi pple..just wanna ask something...its abt the last book hp and the deathly hallows. erm..in the last chap rite..'ninetten years later'..who is harry's son james referring to as VICTOIRE? in the part where he says 'TEDDY IS SNOGGING VICTOIRE' who is victoire?
Well she taught French in Scotland and Portugal for a few years so it's hardly suprising she speaks it well. Congrats to Jo, well and truly deserved. Also, sootyface's translation is correct, Voldemort means to "flee from death". And Kinmo, Victoire is the daughter of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour-Weasley. Isn't it obvious? It's a French name, and James says "our Victoire, our cousin," as of course his mother, Ginny, is Bill's sister, making Bill James' uncle, and Bill's daughter James' cousin. I thought that was clear anyway. Jo's website confirmed that later anyway. :D
awesome! "Sadly, I have to tell you that Voldemort himself is 100% English." --- !!!
Excellent speech! She DEFINTELY deserved this honour! Congrats JO!!!
She soo deserves it i luv u jo!
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