Grossman: 'V gorode Berdicheve: babies' clothing

[Elena Gapova]

Well, when I look at my own raspashonki, which my mother saved from the days
when I was a baby, and at my daughter's (I keep a couple, just to remember
how small she was), they are really igrushechnye - so small. They would fit
some of the bigger dolls that I had (and I even think that as I child, I
used some of them to dress my dolls). So in my understanding "igrushechnye"
refers to the size, and I also think they were not trying or measuring them,
but rather looking through them, raising them to their eyes, turning them
back and forth etc., displaying them for one another.

e.g.

2009/7/8 Polina Morozova <pmorozova at yahoo.com>

> 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.
>
> ****
> Polina Morozova-Diab, Ph.D.
> 10451 Dolecetto drive
> Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
> USA
> Tel./Fax: +1 (916) 364 3425
> Mob.:     +1 (916) 833 3755
>
> --- 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--
> >
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------