“In living literature no person is a competent judge but of works written in his own language.”

—  François-René de Chateaubriand

Sketches of English Literature, Vol II, p. 36 http://books.google.com/books?id=V9AtAAAAYAAJ, as translated by Henry Colburn
Context: In living literature no person is a competent judge but of works written in his own language. I have expressed my opinion concerning a number of English writers; it is very possible that I may be mistaken, that my admiration and my censure may be equally misplaced, and that my conclusions may appear impertinent and ridiculous on the other side of the Channel.

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François-René de Chateaubriand 28
French writer, politician, diplomat and historian 1768–1848

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