tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post2543908264614174857..comments2024-02-26T13:12:10.143-05:00Comments on Lizok's Bookshelf: Three on a Fuzzy Head -- Gazdanov, Kabakov, Ilf & PetrovLisa C. Haydenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-28817021669502470892009-12-31T01:55:44.584-05:002009-12-31T01:55:44.584-05:00I believe I can see the point in Dienes's requ...I believe I can see the point in Dienes's requirement of poetic gift in translating Gazdanov: a part of that clarity is probably an illusion created by Gazdanov's unique diction, and would of course escape a literal translation. But <i>that</i> would be a difference between a merely good and a truly amazing translation. On the other hand, being "merely good" is already high praise in the hard trade that translation is.Maximhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11657581271363301745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-28721442929460287102009-12-30T15:07:51.455-05:002009-12-30T15:07:51.455-05:00You're welcome, Maxim! Alexander Wolf is the f...You're welcome, Maxim! <i>Alexander Wolf</i> is the first piece of Gazdanov's writing that I've read... I think you and Dienes are both correct: I would say that the language and the impressions you mention are intertwined, that style and content are connected because the clarity of impressions depends so heavily on Gazdanov's stylistic elegance and economy. (I hope that makes sense!) For me, that combination is rather mysterious... Dienes uses the word "translucent." Either way, I see his point in saying asking for a poet to translate!Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-9356634841365274862009-12-30T00:45:59.181-05:002009-12-30T00:45:59.181-05:00Thanks for the link, Lisa! László Dienes apparentl...Thanks for the link, Lisa! László Dienes apparently thinks that Gazdanov's style is firmly anchored in Russian language. I am not sure I can agree. I think his writing is mostly distinguished by clarity of impressions, which makes it possible to share the impressions by description, rather than by hint.Maximhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11657581271363301745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-74762785504029547412009-12-28T19:54:56.697-05:002009-12-28T19:54:56.697-05:00Thank you for the corroboration, Maxim! I haven...Thank you for the corroboration, Maxim! I haven't seen any translations of Gazdanov so don't know how they read. The last paragraph of <a href="http://harvardmagazine.com/1998/01/vita.html" rel="nofollow">this article</a> discusses the difficulties of translating Gazdanov's language.Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-6570441378293072722009-12-28T17:32:42.983-05:002009-12-28T17:32:42.983-05:00" enjoyed Gazdanov’s clear, elegant writing a..."<i> enjoyed Gazdanov’s clear, elegant writing and the places and states of mind he describes...</i>"<br /><br />I can't but second that. I always liked Gazdanov, although his novels seem very uneven. "Ghost of A.W." is probably the first book by G. to recommend; I have also enjoyed some of his short stories a lot. One thing I find amazing is how complete an opposite of Nabokov he is: his fire is anything but pale, and he can get surprisingly far when actually describing things in detail, not hinting at impressions. I wonder how much of that could be preserved in translation...Maximhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11657581271363301745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-67895402356726430642009-12-23T12:30:42.884-05:002009-12-23T12:30:42.884-05:00Thanks for adding that recommendation, Languagehat...Thanks for adding that recommendation, Languagehat. I haven't read Meier's book but everything I've heard or read about it has been positive.Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-58080915929840964692009-12-23T10:56:57.852-05:002009-12-23T10:56:57.852-05:00I highly recommend Andrew Meier's Black Earth ...I highly recommend Andrew Meier's <i>Black Earth</i> (Norton, 2003); it's far, far better than Remnick. Meier lived in Russia for years, from back when it was the USSR, and traveled all over; he's a genuinely knowledgeable and sensitive observer, and writes well to boot.Languagehathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13285708503881129380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-70828755035663321642009-12-23T09:51:53.587-05:002009-12-23T09:51:53.587-05:00I agree, Alexander, that Lenin's Tomb was disa...I agree, Alexander, that <i>Lenin's Tomb</i> was disappointing, particularly for a Pulitzer Prize winner. <br /><br />And no, I don't believe that Celestine Bohlen has written a book about Russia.Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-21979479026353758862009-12-23T03:40:39.506-05:002009-12-23T03:40:39.506-05:00I read Lenin's Tomb, but was a bit disappointe...I read Lenin's Tomb, but was a bit disappointed. I keep the book for references.<br /><br />Has Celestine Bohlen written a book on Russia? I remember her articles from way back and she is a second generation Russian hand, but only see news commentary by her now.Alexander Anichkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716415983965000292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-23630970131465788232009-12-22T18:46:48.101-05:002009-12-22T18:46:48.101-05:00Thanks to all of you for the comments!
@Language...Thanks to all of you for the comments! <br /><br />@Languagehat: I'm glad to hear that <i>Clair</i> has a similar feel to it. I'll have to look for her! <br /><br />@Anonymous: Thank you for reminding me of this series! <br /><br />@Alexander: Thank you for the kind wishes. I am feeling much better, thank you, but would love to stop coughing! <br /><br />It's funny that you mention Pil'nyak's <i>О'кей</i> because I just saw it referred to somewhere else. It's one of the few pieces of his work that I don't have! I'll look into Odoevsky, too. <br /><br />As for journalist memoirs and accounts, probably the best-known in the last 20 years is David Remnick's <i>Lenin's Tomb</i>, which I thought was okay. I've seen reviews of other, more recent, books but haven't read any of them. I did, however, enjoy writer Ian Frazier's two lengthy articles for <i>The New Yorker</i> about a car trip in Siberia. I would love to read more if he decides to write a full-length book.Lisa C. Haydenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139281544357167953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-1255564663120568032009-12-22T13:17:47.583-05:002009-12-22T13:17:47.583-05:00get well for Christmas!
Interesting you should me...get well for Christmas!<br /><br />Interesting you should mention your love of distopia (антиутопия) in the same post as Ilf&Petrov's American odyssey. Zamyatin is often credited as the creator of the genre (We/Mы). But, I think, the real credit should go to Vladimir Odoyevsky, a younger contemporary of Pushkin, for his short story "Город без имени" (Russian text here: http://az.lib.ru/o/odoewskij_w_f/text_0074.shtml) which was inspired by a North American travelogue by Humboldt. <br /><br />"Одноэтажная Америка" has become a classic for Russian journalists working abroad. But early 20th century also gave non-fiction by Gorky, Mayakovsky and Boris Pilnyak. I especially recommend Pilnyak's 'Okay, an American novel'. <br /><br />It also struck me that the Russian-American travel writings have all but died with the end of the Soviet Union. Arthur Miller wrote 'In Russia' in the 60-s noting the similarities between the Russians (Soviets) and the Americans, Boris Strelnikov and Vassily Peskov wrote 'Земля за океаном' during the Brezhnev-Nixon detente. Hedrick Smith wrote 'The Russians' and 'The New Russians' roughly at the same time. But have we seen anything of the same caliber in the past 20 years? I admire Sheila Fitzpatrick's articles, but they are not the same as exploring the soul of a nation through travel?Alexander Anichkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716415983965000292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-10333564729891582672009-12-22T04:34:01.550-05:002009-12-22T04:34:01.550-05:00There is the remake of "One-Storey America&qu...There is the remake of "One-Storey America" on russian TV.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlMyhf_FCBU<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%8D%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F+%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0&search_type=&aq=fAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7932429135630556215.post-5719412136054998642009-12-17T10:39:27.204-05:002009-12-17T10:39:27.204-05:00"Gazdanov’s clear, elegant writing": yes..."Gazdanov’s clear, elegant writing": yes, that's the way I remember it from my reading of <i>Vecher u Kler</i> many years ago (which also flashes back from Paris to the Civil War). I'll have to read more Gazdanov.Languagehathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13285708503881129380noreply@blogger.com