The classic novel now in a modern English translation

The Scarlet Letter is a “perfect work of the American imagination” (D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover). The dark romance weaves vivid scenes to examine the risks of desire amid the Puritan life. This new edition features a modern English translation of the story by editor Aldwin Grey. Retold with finesse and rigor, Grey’s translations enable readers to enjoy the classics in a fresh, clear voice. They can also be used as study guides or references alongside the original works.

IN 17th-CENTURY BOSTON, Puritanism is thriving, and those who trespass its codes pay dearly. A young widow, Hester Prynne, bears a child but will say nothing of the father. Forced to wear a red token on her breast, she walks through town alone, save for her growing, unruly daughter, Pearl. Meanwhile, when the town’s beloved minister falls ill, a mysterious physician steps in to help. With vivid symbolism, satire, and a climactic revelation, The Scarlet Letter probes the black depths and reveals the golden love of the human heart.

Original

“Dost thou think I have been to the forest so many times, and have yet no skill to judge who else has been there? Yea; though no leaf of the wild garlands, which they wore while they danced, be left in their hair! I know thee, Hester; for I behold the token. We may all see it in the sunshine; and it glows like a red flame in the dark. Thou wearest it openly; so there need be no question about that. But this minister! Let me tell thee in thine ear!”

The Grey Translation

Do you think I have been to the forest so many times but still cannot tell who else has been there? Though the garlands they wore while they danced may be gone, I still see them. I know you Hester. I see the token. You wear it in the sunshine and it glows like a flame in the dark. There is no question of you. But this minister— Let me tell you in your ear.

“[Hawthorne’s story is] beautiful, admirable, extraordinary.”

—Henry James