Over the Hedge by T Lewis and Michael Fry for July 23, 2011

Dostoyevsky: the anti-mice.

I’ve heard that it’s even worse in the original Russian. The imagery is excruciating because the winters are long. It is definitively an art form, & as such is not suitable to all audiences. If it’s easy to like it’s amusement, not art.

I’m an American mutt, but I speak fluent Russian. Dostoyevski is certainly not a feel-good writer, but neither is he morbid. He delves deep into the human psyche, and does so with a palpable love for people and for God, rather than glorying in his own dark philosophy like some writers. The older translations were stilted because they were poor translations, not because of cultural differences. Try the most recent translations by Pevear and Volokhonsky.

Kinda surprised he didn’t use “War and Peace” instead. Also, would Hammy have enjoyed it?

Any of you Russian readers read Pasternak’s translation of “Hamlet”? It’s supposed to be outstanding, but my rooskie yazhikh isn’t nearly good enough to tackle it. Kozintzev’s 1964 film uses the Pasternak translation, but when I play the DVD with English subtitles it just gives me Shakespeare’s words. There are times when I can tell they’re speaking verse, but so many of Hamlet’s lines are puns that I’m highly intrigued by how Pasternak might have dealt with them…

My, our audience is quite sophisticated. I will adjust accordingly. Or not. – mike

Gogol literally had a nose going into a tavern. If the simplified, highly atmospheric Taman that´s in Russian-English readers were read to Hammy, his head mice would have been riveted. Thanks to Kydex29 for the reference. Thanks to Hammy for inspiring all this.