Grossman: 'V gorode Berdicheve: babies' clothing

[Robert Chandler]

Dear Alina,

No, it is clear that the passage beginning 'Dnyom Beila...' is a flashback.
First we see the 2 women as the man of the house finds them when he comes
back home in the evening; then we are told about the events of the
afternoon.

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far.  I hope to come up with a draft
translation tomorrow!

Vsego dobrogo,

Robert 

> This is indeed a puzzling passage because only from the following
> paragraph (the one that follows the распашонки bit) does she find out
> that Vavilova is pregnant:
> 
> Они  негромко смеялись,  переговариваясь  между собой, и
> примеряли, подымая большие толстые руки, маленькие, игрушечные распашонки.
>  Днем  Бэйла зашла в комнату Вавиловой; та  стояла подле  окна, и острый
> женский  глаз Бэйлы  уловил  скраденную  высоким  ростом  Вавиловой  полноту
> живота.
>      --  Я  очень извиняюсь, -- решительно  сказала  Бэйла, но  вы, кажется,
> беременны.
>      И Бэйла,  всплескивая  руками,  смеясь и причитая, принялась  хлопотать
> вокруг нее.
> 
> So why would the protagonist ошеломленно look at the scene if they were
> making real распашонки? After all Beyla has a baby who might need more
> clothing. And Beyla doesn't know yeat that the comissar will need them.
> 
> Alina
> 
> Robert Chandler wrote:
>> 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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