Dostoyevsky's " Бе сы"(The Possess ed) plus Anna Kareni na

[Robert Chandler]

Dear Alexei,

I don't see any need for sarcasm at my expense.   I would have thought that my frequent asking of questions makes it clear that I have a reasonably clear sense of my own limitations.

All the best,

R.


On 13 Dec 2010, at 23:29, Alexei Kutuzov wrote:

> Thank you for your comment.  I can only s
> Dear Professor Meerson,
> 
> Thank you for your comment.  I can only say, with all due deference and 
> respect, that calling someone a bad child is also not particularly enlightening, 
> nor is a hagiographic stance vis-a-vis Sir Robert Chandler (who, while a genius, 
> often gets a fair amount of help on his translations from this list).  Saul 
> Morson is one of the most respected names in American Slavic, and his views, 
> while often polemical, problematic, or what you will, should be engaged with 
> seriously.  I urge you to read his reviews of Pevear and Volokhonsky, and also 
> to read their texts closely.  As someone with excellent command of English and 
> Russian, you will surely see many unfortunate mistakes and choices in their 
> work.  I stand by my earlier comment regarding Pevear's unduly pretentious 
> remarks in his translation of Dostoevsky's Notes.
> 
> With best wishes to the list and thanks for its members indulgence!
> 
> AK   
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Olga Meerson <meersono at GEORGETOWN.EDU>
> To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> Sent: Mon, December 13, 2010 2:07:47 PM
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Dostoyevsky's "Бесы" (The Possess ed) plus Anna Karenina
> 
> Re:
> Saul Morson seems to be one of
> the few people in our profession who have taken a critical look into the Pevear
> and Volokhonsky translations (see, for instance,
> http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/the-pevearsion-of-russian-literature-15468),
> 
> and it would be good to see others straying away from the hagiographical 
> reception the American academy has given them.
> 
> Indeed, this is not the only respect where Saul Morson is "one of the few people 
> in our profession" who never hesitate to criticize. I see no hagiographic 
> attitude in anything ANYone in American academia ever has given anyone I 
> respect, Pevears or no Pevears. Perhaps a dose of skepticism is not bad but good 
> will also matters, especially when trying to render things as complex as Russian 
> poetics. I happen to be both a translator (honored to work with Robert Chandler 
> whom I consider to be a genius) and a member of American academia, and, in 
> matters pertaining to Russian poetics, I find neither the role of an 
> hagiographer nor that of an enfant terrible to be particularly appealing, let 
> alone enlightening. 
> 
> 
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Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD

tel. +44 207 603 3862





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