Grossman: 'V gorode Berdicheve: babies' clothing

[Sasha Senderovich]

Dear Robert,
See a (contemporary) definition of "raspashonka" on this baby clothing site
- with corresponding images of items that you can click on to zoom in:
http://www.antonchik.ru/index.php?categoryID=208

They are not measuring anything for a baby
that has not been born yet, but Beyla has several children and is
using their baby clothes to demonstrate to Vavilova how to clothe a
child. They are just regular "raspashonki" of Beyla's children - not
doll clothes.

Best,
Sasha Senderovich

2009/7/8 Robert Chandler <kcf19 at dial.pipex.com>

> Dear all,
>
> This story is set in Berdichev during the Russian-Polish war.  A tall,
> strong, determined female commissar has become pregnant and has finally had
> to accept that she can't carry on as usual.  She has been billeted on a
> Jewish family.  The wife is trying to teach her a bit about what being a
> mother will be like.
>
> Вернувшийся  вечером  с  работы  Магазаник  ошеломленно остановился  в
> дверях:  за столом  сидела его  жена Бэйла  и рядом с ней большая  женщина
> в
> просторном  платье, в туфлях-шлепанцах  на босу ногy,  с головой,
> повязанной
> пестрой  косынкой.  Они  негромко смеялись,  переговариваясь  между собой,
> и
> примеряли, подымая большие толстые руки, маленькие, игрушечные распашонки
>
> My dictionary translates 'raspashonka' as 'a short baby's undershirt
> without
> buttons'.  But why is it also 'igrushechnaya'?  Is that simply a way of
> saying it is very small?  The French translator evidently thinks it means
> something like an item of clothing for a doll, but I don't think that makes
> much sense.
>
> More generally, I am a bit puzzled as to why they are measuring clothes for
> a baby that has yet to be born.
>
> All the best,
>
> Robert
>
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