I have been amusing myself comparing the Esperanto and French translations of 'Murder on the Orient Express' with the English original.

I've easily come to the conclusion that the language of the French version is clearer and more elegant than the English original.

And not just because there seems to have been no attempt in the French (1992) version to produce the sort of broken English of Poirot and the various foreign characters in the book. (The original is full of strange English as Agatha has tried to do this.)

Moreover, it is interesting to see how the translators have condensed or expanded certain passages.

The main lesson from this comparison exercise is clear. When producing an Esperanto translation of entertainment fiction there is no good reason not to improve on the original.

The 1937 Esperanto version, if polished and brought more up to date with Esperanto as is it is used today, could well be a worthwhile addition to our stock of light fiction.

The 1937 Esperanto text is available as pdf file on the net and any public library will have a copy (or can obtain a copy) of the 1934 English text.

With a bit of organised collaboration, it could be relatively easy to publish a new, elegant and very readable Esperanto translation of this classic, as good as the French version that I have.

If I was a more experienced Esperantist I would love to help. But I can't wait to see where this leads =)

How do you distinguish entertainment literature from serious literature, and is this possible at all?
I really doubt that it's the task of the translator to improve the original.

horsto:How do you distinguish entertainment literature from serious literature, and is this possible at all?

Yes, whole literature departments of universities are devoted to doing exactly that. Basically: the former is made by people to be read by others for enjoyment, the latter is made by artists who are trying to discover some great truth (which means whatever you think it means), at the expense of people not being interested. Occasionally the two types of literature cross paths. Shakespeare did it knowingly and willingly. Agatha apparently came close when she penned 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'.

horsto:I really doubt that it's the task of the translator to improve the original.

If a translator is passionate and creative, as a lot probably are, I reckon they'll want to attempt to improve on the original, while of course preserving the spirit and meaning of it. If they fail to do the former they won't be criticized, but if they fail to do the latter they'll doubtless get fewer translation jobs in the future. Example: I believe the German dub of 70s action show 'The Persuaders!' ('Die Zwei') is seen as an improvement on the original, by aficionados.