Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0003048, Tue, 21 Apr 1998 15:40:09 -0700

Subject
Re: Nabokov on Gogol: A Query (fwd)
Date
Body
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 18:33:15 EDT
From: TENTENDER <TENTENDER@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Nabokov on Gogol: A Query (fwd)

In a message dated 4/21/98 4:50:43 PM EST, chtodel@humanitas.ucsb.edu writes:

<<
From: Rodney Welch <RWelch@scjob.sces.org>


How translatable is Nikolai Gogol?
>>
An interesting post -- although having read the B.G. Guerney translation, VN's
enthusiasm seems fully justified.

For me, though, the mystery is Bely's PETERSBURG -- which, to me, does not
come off at all well in translation. Perhaps the Grove edition, despite its
being abridged, may have more of the Belyan vitality than the more recent and
complete one? Certainly I was eager to replace it in VN's 20th century canon
of masterpieces with any number of VN's own books! Are the translations at all
adequate?

And while we're at it -- can any of the post-Guerney DEAD SOULS translations
be especially recommended?

Christopher Berg
Tentender@aol.com