Antedating Quote "history is written by the victor" (1919)

Garson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Sat Dec 19 08:35:22 UTC 2009


On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 12:47 PM, Ken Hirsch <kenhirsch at ftml.net> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Ken Hirsch <kenhirsch at FTML.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating Quote "history is written by the victor" (1919)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I've found earlier, almost identical sayings.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/yd3sxcp 1842 in French
>  A partir de son nouveau d=E9sastre, les chroniques lui attribuent une
>  foule de crimes; l'histoire est juste peut-=EAtre, mais qu'on ne
>  l'oublie pas, elle a =E9t=E9 =E9crite par les vainqueurs.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/ydorwpo 1840s in French
>  Vaincu dont l'histoire fut =E9crite par les vainqueurs, Robespierre
>  avait laiss=E9 une m=E9moire maudite.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/yd3ztg2 1844 the above French translated into English:
>  "Vanquished=97his history written by the victors=97Robespierre has
>  left a memory accursed"
>
> http://tinyurl.com/y885vo5 1852 in Italian
>  La storia di questi avvenimenti fu scritta dai vincitori, i quali non
>  hanno mai una parola di compassione o di lode pei caduti.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/y8gphno 1864 in Italian
>  Giovanni Marco Burigozzo bottegaio lombardo fu l' ultimo raccoglitore
>  dei dolori del popolo ; appresso venne la storia classica, cortigiana,
>  prezzolata: l'istoria scritta dai vincitori.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/y8euemp 1866 this translated into English
>  John Mark Burigozzo, a Lombard shopkeeper, was the last annalist who
>  recorded the sorrows of the people. Then came classic, courtly and
>  salaried historians=97history written by the victors. There is need of
>  great caution in reading the verdict of a history written with the
>  sword.
>
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Wonderful! Thanks for locating these excellent citations. The
transition from French and Italian to English for the 1844 and 1866
cites that Stephen Goranson found is now clearer.
Garson

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