Teffi's memoir about Rasputin: "i sam"

[Robert Chandler]

Dear all,

Thee are real complications here, but I am ashamed to realise (from an offline response) that I have introduced unnecessary confusions.  I'm sorry.

My first para should read as follows:
The first speaker is Teffi; the second is a writer, Izmailov, who is trying to organize a dinner at the house of yet another person, "F" (the khozyain of this extract), who is on friendly terms with Rasputin. Izmailov is eager to seize this  opportunity to meet Rasputin.  Teffi is initially reluctant to go along with this.

In reply to George Hawrysch: "F" is a publisher.  This doesn't, of course, necessarily mean that he would not be afraid of writers, but it makes a lot more sense, in the overall context, to interpret the Он in the sentence "Он, говорит, писателей-то и сам не любит" as referring to Rasputin.  F.will, in any case, KNOW that this is a group of writers.

All the best, apologies, and thanks!

R.
> 
> On Sun, Jul 28, 2013 at 10:11 AM, Robert Chandler <kcf19 at dial.pipex.com> wrote:
> Dear all,
> 
> The first speaker is Teffi; the second is a writer who is trying to organize a dinner that will give him and others the opportunity to meet Rasputin.  Teffi is initially reluctant to go along with this.
> 
> - Только бы он не подумал, что мы набиваемся на знакомство с ним.
> - Нет, не подумает. Хозяин обещал, что и не скажет ему даже, что мы писатели. Он, говорит, писателей-то и сам не любит. Боится. Так что от него это обстоятельство скроют. Нам тоже выгоднее, чтобы он не знал. Пусть держится совсем свободно и обычно, как в своем кругу, а если начнет позировать, ничего интересного и не будет. Так, значит, едем?
> 
> My question is about this:
> Он, говорит, писателей-то и сам не любит. Боится.
> The initial "On" has to be Rasputin.  What does the "и сам" add to the sentence?  Is it to give the impression of this being Rasputin's own words?  As if Rasputin had once said to the khozyain "Я сам писателей-то не люблю"?
> 
> While I am about it, and because I never quite trust myself with these tiny words, what does the "-то" add?
> 
> At the moment we have this:
> "“I don’t think he will.  The host has promised not even to mention that we’re writers. Rasputin doesn’t like writers, he says so himself.  He’s probably afraid of them.  So they won’t be telling him this little detail.  This is in our interests too."
> (I have added "probably" so as not to make it seem that this sentence too is something R. has himself said.)
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Robert
> 
> Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD
> 
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Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD





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