My very short story The Gondolier has been translated into 56 languages so far, but I wondered what it would look like in English had it been written by somebody else. There are a few authors I like who sprung to mind that I could try to emulate. Here's the first of the remixed versions of The Gondolier.
The Gondolier Remix – Wodehouse Edition
The black prow of my
gondola, if prow is what I mean – I’ve never got the hang of port and
starboard, prow and whatnot - cut smoothly through the calm waters of the
canals. The sleek craft had served me well for many a year, carried hordes of
chums through the city’s waterways under the guiding hands of generations of my
forebears. Or rather, my forebears’ valets.
The sun was preparing to say toodle-pip as it sank over the ancient city,
turning the water to an inky ribbon lain between rather spiffing sandstone
buildings. I took a good lungful of the cool evening breeze.
If anyone were to ask me, I should say there’s no place more beautiful than
this wondrous city of canals. As Jeeves eased the boat into its mooring I
stopped to gaze with satisfaction up into the darkening skies of jolly old
Mars.
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