Grossman: 'V gorode Berdicheve: babies' clothing

[Polina Morozova]

In this case the protagonist was more surprised to see their guest who no longer was wearing her military uniform but an ordinary dress and slippers, and who now was showing interest in baby clothing. 

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Polina Morozova-Diab, Ph.D.
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--- Alina Israeli <aisrael at AMERICAN.EDU> schrieb am Do, 9.7.2009:

Von: Alina Israeli <aisrael at AMERICAN.EDU>
Betreff: Re: [SEELANGS] Grossman: 'V gorode Berdicheve: babies' clothing
An: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Datum: Donnerstag, 9. Juli 2009, 1:24

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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