s ▁life . ▁ ▁Lud ov ico , ▁Fab rice ' s ▁lif el ong ▁servant ▁and ▁friend . ▁ ▁Trans l ations ▁The ▁best - known ▁English ▁translation ▁The ▁Char ter house ▁of ▁Par ma ▁is ▁by ▁Charles ▁Kenneth ▁Scott - Mon c rie ff . ▁Scott - Mon c rie ff ▁transl ates ▁the ▁French ▁names ▁of ▁Italian ▁characters ▁in ▁the ▁original ▁to ▁Italian ▁equival ents . ▁Thus ▁Fab rice ▁becomes ▁Fab riz io . ▁The ▁translation ▁by ▁Margaret ▁Ma ul don ▁( O x ford ▁University ▁Press , ▁ 1 9 9 7 ) ▁retain s ▁the ▁French ▁names . ▁The ▁translation ▁by ▁Richard ▁Howard ▁( Mod ern ▁Library , ▁ 1 9 9 9 ) ▁uses ▁the ▁Italian ▁names . ▁According ▁to ▁Daniel ▁M end el so hn ▁of ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Times , ▁this ▁" ob sc ures ▁the ▁important ▁narr ative ▁conce it ▁that ▁this ▁whole ▁tale ▁is ▁one ▁we ' re ▁hearing ▁from ▁a ▁French man ▁who ▁has , ▁in ▁turn , ▁heard ▁it ▁from ▁It ali ans ▁who ▁knew ▁the ▁princip als . ▁It ▁is ▁a ▁book ▁about ▁It ali ans , ▁but ▁one ▁seen ▁through ▁French ▁eyes ." ▁ ▁M end el so hn ▁goes ▁on ▁to ▁say ▁that ▁the ▁translation ▁" mov es ▁with ▁ad mi rable ▁rapid ity , ▁fully ▁con ve ying ▁what ▁James ▁called ▁the ▁' rest less ness ' ▁of ▁St end hal ' s ▁' super ior ▁mind ' ▁by ▁means ▁of ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁subt le ▁but