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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