Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition

Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

Name: The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II
Author: Joseph Joubert

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

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The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1816 · Entry 7612

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French Page · Branch 3831 of 4529

YEAR 1816 · Entry 7612

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 7661

22 avril.

« ...Car souvent la vérité sort au travers des livres muëts » disoit Lopez de Vega. Et il sort en effet « une certaine vérité » et « une certaine lumière » « au travers des livres fermés », quand on les voit, pourvu qu’on en lise les titres.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1816

p. 7662

April 22.

“...For truth often emerges through mute books,” said Lopez de Vega. And indeed “a certain truth” and “a certain light” emerge “through closed books,” when one sees them, provided one reads their titles.

T67.The initial ellipsis, mute/closed distinction, truth/light pair and seeing/reading condition remain. The proper name is retained as printed, without correcting Lopez or authenticating the quotation. All four quoted spans stay distinct; American comma placement differs from the French guillemet punctuation.

T246.Complete 22 remains. Four separate guillemet pairs are preserved, in the French source, including the printed opening dots before capital Car and two adjacent quoted phrases without an invented conjunction. Original-size color shows two upper e-components in muëts. Lopez remains literal, with no name normalization or external source identification. The imperfect reporting verb, resumed Et, en effet, repeated certaine and au travers, temporal quand and conditional pourvu remain. The left starts Lopez/certaine/pourvu are identifiable without additional loss.

About This Reading Edition

Joubert’s notebooks return to the work of thinking and writing, the demands of friendship, and questions of faith, beauty and conduct. This edition pairs the French with a new English translation, preserving the order of the chosen source and the unfinished character of its fragments. Dates and source references allow readers to follow a thought through time or return to its printed context.

Historical Text and Translation

The French text follows André Beaunier’s 1938 edition of Les Carnets de Joseph Joubert, published by Gallimard from Joubert’s autograph manuscripts. Volume II continues the notebooks and includes seventy undated pieces. French and English are aligned paragraph by paragraph, retaining the source order, printed dates and page references so readers can return to the facsimile.

About Diotimos Editions

Diotimos Editions prepared this new English translation directly from the French, preserving Joubert’s distinctions, recurring images, ambiguities and unfinished thoughts. Translator’s notes clarify wording, references and uncertain readings: Essential keeps notes that help explain a passage, while All includes technical detail. Annotations from the 1938 source edition remain distinct from the new translator’s notes.

Rights

The linked facsimile records identify the French source as public domain in the United States. The new English translation and editorial notes are © 2026 Diotimos, with source annotations and new editorial contributions credited separately. This edition pairs the complete French notebooks with an independent English translation, preserving the distinction between Joubert’s text and its accompanying notes.