Dostoyevsky's " Бесы"(The Possess ed) plus Anna Karenina

[Inna Caron]

Robert Chandler is as humble as he is talented. In the interests of accuracy he does not hesitate to consult others, including the native speakers. Which cannot be equally said of all members of American academia, some of whom profess themselves experts on all things Russian, yet would not give an actual Russian the time of day.

I am among many admirers of GSM's work and detractors of P&V translations. With that said, Olga Meerson is a respected and perfectly bi-lingual scholar. When asked for her opinion (as a recipient of SEELANGS inquiries), she volunteered her preference, to which she is fully entitled, no matter how many luminaries say otherwise. 

The textual comparison set in motion by her response has been absolutely captivating, though. I am hoping for more, including some specific examples from P&V alternatives.

Sincerely,

IC
________________________________________
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list [SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] on behalf of Alexei Kutuzov [alexei_kutuzov at YAHOO.COM]
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2010 6:29 PM
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Dostoyevsky's "Бесы" (The  Possess ed) plus Anna Karenina

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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