Best Translations of Master & Marg and One Day?

Sat Jun 2 20:38:38 UTC 2007

I really like the Pevear and Volohonsky, both for the notes and for where and when they manage to convey the grotesque tone of the original. As for the versions, I believe that already Mirra Ginzburg used the Possev edition, not the one published in Moskva (the first, cut version published in Russia and in Russian). Fortunately, Bulgakov is a little easier to translate than Platonov or Gogol, so every translation conveys quite a lot there--the wit is transferable without any great violations or imperative transformations of the English language. The same goes for Solzhenitsyn: I would be more worried about the adequacy problem with Shalamov. Just an opinion.
o.m.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald J. Sabo" <gsabo at JCU.EDU>
Date: Saturday, June 2, 2007 12:04 pm
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Best Translations of Master & Marg and One Day?

> If I recall correctly, the Russian version with italics for 
> deleted text was first published in 1969 by Posev publishers in 
> Frankfurt am Main, then reprinted in 1971 and 1974.  I believe the 
> Burgin-O'Connor was a "complete" translation that may have also 
> drawn on post-1991 Russian published versions of M-M.  There may 
> be commentary about this in that edition.  I have not yet seen the 
> Karpelson version.  What is valuable in the Pevear-Volkonsky, 
> Burgin-Connor, and probably Karpelson versions are especially the 
> foot/endnotes for needed explanations as well as the quality of 
> those translations of Bulgakov.  I am not aware that any of the 
> three translations indicate in some way in the actual English text 
> what had been originally deleted from the late sixties Russian 
> publication on which the Ginsburg and Glenny translations were 
> based.  
>   I would be grateful for evaluation of the three most recent 
> translations for future use.  Thanks--Jerry Sabo.
> 
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2007 13:17:10 -0400
> >From: colkitto <colkitto at ROGERS.COM>  
> >Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Best Translations of Master & Marg and 
> One Day?  
> >To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
> >
> >Regarding Master and Margarita, the first time I read it (this 
> was rather a 
> >long time ago, and the copy had been obtained under rather .. 
> interesting 
> >circumstances, and I was in the Soviet Union at the time, so I 
> can't recall 
> >the actual publisher, so please don't ask), I had access to a 
> version which 
> >showed all the material censored by the Soviets in italics, which 
> added 
> >interest to the work, if I may crave the indulgence of Bulgakov 
> scholars.>
> >Some of the cuts were absolutely pointless, involving individual 
> words, even 
> >down to, e.g., "bol'soj" or "ocen"', although they included an 
> entire 
> >chapter (the one where Margarita flies around as a witch, I think).
> >
> >Do any SEELANZANE recognise this version, and if so, has it been 
> translated, 
> >and if the answer is yes, such a translation should certainly be 
> included in 
> >the course under discussion, as it would provide a nice example 
> of Soviet 
> >censorship.
> >
> >If this issue has already been covered by the Bulgakov 
> translations listed, 
> >please accept my apologies, I have no claim whatever to being any 
> sort of 
> >Bulgakov scholar.
> >
> >Robert Orr
> >
> >
> >>I strongly prefer Max Hayward's translation of One Day.
> >> Donna Seifer
> >> -- 
> >> seifer at lclark.edu
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 6/2/07 8:14 AM, "Sara Stefani" <sara.stefani at YALE.EDU> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Dear All,
> >>>
> >>> I'll be teaching a class this fall on the Russian Novel, and I 
> was 
> >>> wondering
> >>> if
> >>> anyone out there had strong feelings about the best 
> translation of Master 
> >>> and
> >>> Margarita? I've found five different options: translations by 
> Michael 
> >>> Glenny,
> >>> Mirra Ginsburg, Diana Burgin, Pevear and Volokhonsky, and a 
> new(ish)>>> translation by Michael Karpelson. The only one I've 
> read is the Glenny
> >>> translation. My first impulse is to go with Pevear and 
> Volokhonsky, but 
> >>> first
> >>> wanted to see if any of you have had experiences with any of 
> these 
> >>> versions?
> >>>
> >>> On that same note, any strong preferences for a translation of 
> One Day in 
> >>> the
> >>> Life of Ivan Denisovich? The options I've found are by Ralph 
> Parker, Max
> >>> Hayward and Ronald Hingley, and the newest one by H. T. 
> Willetts. The
> >>> Willetts translation seems longer and more expensive, and I'm 
> wondering>>> whether it's really worth the extra money.
> >>>
> >>> Feel free to contact me on or off-line at sara.stefani at yale.edu/.
> >>>
> >>> Many thanks in advance!!
> >>>
> >>> Best,
> >>> Sara
> >>>
> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
> >>>  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/
> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
> >>
> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
> >> 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/
> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
> >> 
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
> > 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/
> >------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
> 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/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
> 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------