Bunin and intelligentnost'

[Vladimir Bilenkin]

Robert Chandler wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> The hero of Bunin's 'V Parizhe' (from Temnye allei) confesses to reading
> personal ads from a magazine called 'Illustrated Russia'.  Over dinner he
> quotes one such ad, which I have translated as follows:
>
> ЁSerious lady, auburn hair, old-fashioned but sympathique, widowed with
> 9-year-old son, wishes to correspond, serious intentions, with sober
> gentleman of at least 40, financially secure, employed as chauffeur or
> similar, enjoys home comforts.  Intellectual interests not essential.╡ I
> quite understand her -- they really aren╧t essential.╧
>
> 'Intellectual interests' is my extremely inadequate translation of
> 'intelligentnost'.  Can anyone do better?

To put it simply, this word is not translatable into English.  It has nothing
to do
with "good manners" or whatever grade of education.  An aristocrat, like
Bunin,
would usually had good manners and education, but not "intelligentnost'" ,
and would
likely be violently opposed being characterized like this, specially after
1917.
The closest that comes to my mind is "cutured", but I do not hear in this
word the
moral dimension "intelligentnost' has.

Vladimir Bilenkin,
NCSU

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