Vasily Grossman [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[Subhash.Jaireth at GA.GOV.AU]

Hi All,

Happy new year.

I recently read wonderful translation of Grossman's stories published in The Road , translated by Robert Chandler who is listed as co-author. Most of the pieces in the book come from Sobranye Sochinenya v 4-x tomax of Grossmann. I went looking for the stories in Russian and downloaded for my NOOK an epub format book entitled Neskol'ko  Pechal'nikh Dnei (Sbornki). Most (at least 80%) of pieces in The Road come from this book.

In the Neskol'ko  Pecha'lnikh Dnei there is story Avel (or Abel), which follows the story Doroga. The story Avel is about the bombing of Nagaskai. It is one of the most intriguing stories about the dropping of atomic bomb, I have read. The story is told from the eyes of the crew of the bomber.

Somehow this story doesn't appear in the Robert Chandler's translation. Was this omission deliberate? If it was, and think it was, I would love to know the reason. Perhaps the topic was too sensitive for potential US readers of the book (The book as we know we re-issued as a NYRB classic).

Any ideas?

The book the Road (it is an excellent book praised justly by all reviewers) in my view raises many other questions such as:


 *   Authorship (can the translator be called an author)
 *   How this or that piece is selected or omitted
 *   Are all readings essentially ideological?
 *   Etc etc

By way of clarification: the book The Road is a wonderful book and the translation excellent. More importantly it has made Grossman popular (deservedly) amongst readers who don't speak Russian. So thank you to Robert.

Best wishes

Subhash

________________________________
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list [mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of SEELANGS automatic digest system
Sent: Thursday, 5 January 2012 17:00
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Subject: SEELANGS Digest - 3 Jan 2012 to 4 Jan 2012 (#2012-5)



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------