SEELANGS Digest - Translation of Cherry Orchard

[Andrew Kaufman]

Dear All,
Could anyone recommend a good translation of _Cherry Orchard_ that is in
print now?
thanks!
Gabriella


The two best, in my opinion (especially for undergraduates)

1. My own personal favorite translation is the new translation by Paul
Schmidt, playwright, actor, scholar: The Plays of Anton Chekhov, Haper
Collins, 1997. I have used this translation in my own performances of
Chekhov and also in my teaching of undergraduates. Its strength (and for
some traditionalists, maybe its weakness) is that he makes Chekhov sound
like he's writing for a contemporary American audience. Some of the words
and phrases are not exactly accurate translations, but he does a marvelous
job re-creating the light, flowing, tragi-comedic music of Chekhov's plays
for a contemporary audience. My students find this translation very
approachable, and they can begin to feel Chekhov's unique poetics through
Schmidt's translation.

2--The Norton Ciritical Edition (Translated and Edited by Eugene K Bristow,
published 1977) is solid  and faithful to the original in tone and content.
In addition to being a Slavist, Professor Bristow was also a theater
professor at Indiana U. He's got a good ear for Chekhov's theatrical
dialogue, but his rendition can be stuffy at times. The other strengh of
Norton Critical Edition is that there's a useful  introductory essay on
translating Chekhov and some extremely valuable secondary materials at the
end (the best collection of secondary and background sources I've seen in
English)

I hope this helps!


Andy Kaufman, Ph.D.
13141 Riverside Drive, Suite 304
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Office: 818 386 9339
Mobile: 818 723 2009




From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Reply-To: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------