Verses and Versions: Thre Centuries of Russian Poetry [Hardcover]

Some may come into this book with the thought that they are going to be getting some great English translations of little known or unknown Russian poets, and yes, there is that. But the title of this book is Verses and Versions. So, the Version aspect of this book--which is the complex process of translation itself and the results thereof--takes center stage as well. From both standpoints, this is a delightful read.

It begins with an essay by Nabokov on the art of translation and it is, in typical Nabokovian fashion, both amusing and informative. It turns out that not all translators are created equal, and many are completely awful. A translator might be lazy, or incompetent, but worst of all, he may have his own agenda. Nabokov points out that there are some translations of Russian works into English that have been altered, or "improved upon," or even censored, in some cases to protect the reader's delicate sensibility, you see, as defined by the translator. And the editor, perhaps not nearly as scholarly as the translator himself, has not the power to oversee this.

Nabokov, expectedly, is contemptuous of this. He cites an interesting example. A line from Hamlet, having to do with Ophelia, reads: "There with fantastic garlands did she come, of cornflower, nettles, daises, and long purples." The Russian translator apparently decided that he could improve upon this. Translated back into English, it reads: "There with most lovely garlands did she come, of violets, carnations, roses, lilies." This utterly misses the point. Nabokov suggests, facetiously perhaps, that translators of this nature should be, "punished by the stocks, as plagiarists were in the shoebuckle days."

But if there are bad translations, there are also good, or at least, interesting ones as well. A good example is in the short chapter on the work of Karamzin, a minor Russian poet who was more well-known for his Russian translations of English poems. In one case, Nabokov gives us the original English poem--Lord Ullin's Daughter, by somebody named Campbell--a sing-songy, hackneyed bit of melodrama; then gives us the Russian translation in Russian; then gives us his own re-translation back into English. Fascinatingly, the re-translation becomes a powerful, moving piece.

The book is organized into about twenty chapters, each of which has to do with a specific Russian poet, and there are literally dozens of splendid poems in here. One can barely turn the page without being struck by something powerful, or beautiful, or whimsical, or thought-provoking--or all four simultaneously.

"To His Wife," by Baratinski, was quite moving. It begins,

"I have given her a nickname,
Just a fanciful caress,
The unconscious inspiration,
Of my childish tenderness. . . "

How true this is, for those of us lucky enough to be in a loving marriage. And it ends on a lovely, hopeful note as well.

Pushkin is perhaps the one Russian poet English readers are familiar with, and his chapter is by far the longest here. Again, loads of good stuff. A great one is entitled, "The Demon," and it has to do with how man can allow his soul to be corroded by disappointment and failure. Here are the last several lines:

"With inexhaustible detraction
he tempted Providence;
he called the beautiful a dream,
held inspiration in contempt,
did not believe in love, in freedom,
looked mockingly on life,
and nothing in all nature
did he desire to bless."

There are people in the world like this. Sometimes, they hold very influential positions in society.

An untitled poem by Nekrasov has to do with the horror of war, and the one person over all who it affects the most:

"Amid our hypocritical affairs
and all kinds of matters, platitudinous and prosaic,
the only sacred and sincere tears I have observed
are the tears of unfortunate mothers.
For them to forget their children slain in battle
is as impossible as for a weeping willow
to lift its drooping branches."

There is so much more. If poetry is something that you are at all interested in, this book would make a fine addition to your collection.

Another posthumous publication of Nabokov texts, like The Original of Laura? Not quite. More a recycling of previously published material, re-arranged and combined with `new' texts, ie previously unpublished translations.
The main sources and core for this book are Nab's book Three Russian Poets on and with texts by Pushkin, Tyutchev and Lermontov, and his monumental commentary on Pushkin's Eugene Onegin.

Another skimming of the market for Nabokov collectables? Yes and no.
Yes, as we have to some extent the same avaricious system of empty pages or half printed pages as with the Original of Laura, ie the actual book is much shorter than the one that you buy. 20% empty space.
This is aggravated by the fact that the left pages in all actual poetry parts (as differentiated from the introductions and essays) are the Russian originals. I am sure many people appreciate this service. On me it is wasted. I always wanted to learn Russian when I turn 60. Well, one can't reach all one's targets.

No, as the book is `genuine': it had been a project of Vera's since some time, to publish her husband's Russian poetry translations, collected. She didn't manage to do it, the project was left to biographer Brian Boyd and son Dimitri.

We have here an anthology of Russian poetry in Nab's translation. Or at least it comes close to an anthology by scraping together a few poets and their poems and Nab's translations. I am not expert enough to judge the selection. It is obvious though that the `anthology' is heavy on Pushkin. That takes away some of the balance, however it may be explained or justified. The other two of the trio (Lermontov and Tyutchev) are also strongly represented.
Many other older poets are represented with miniature texts. Some of the great 20th century names (Blok, Mandelshtam and some others) are represented with small selections.
For me personally, Lermontov is most accessible.
I would say: for an anthology, one might have wished a broader and more balanced overview.

A charming add-on: Nab's notes for the sleeve of a record that son Dimitri recorded, with Russian songs, in the early 70s.

I am only expert enough to say that I like Nab's short essays (the portraits of the poets are mostly taken from the Onegin commentary volume, or from the TRP book), which are inserted here, and I enjoy some of the translations. I also enjoy his thoughts about translating.
As I am neutral on the originals of the poems, the average rating would be something like a 3 to 4 stars. My overall verdict: a must for Nabokovniks, a superfluous door stopper for others.

Life? A romance.
By whom? Anonymous.

An eloquent book that should be in the library of any person interested in Russian poetry, Vladimir Nabokov and/or the difficult art of translation.

Professors Brian Boyd and Stanislav Shvabrin have performed a notable service in organizing and bringing this fine collection to print.

I am not knowledgeable about the subject poems (or the Russian language) so can not judge for certain if Mr. Nabokov's translations to English are the best. But, I would wager they are.

Please also consider reading this great intellect's memoir "Speak, Memory."

As Mr. Nabokov said of a long dead Russian poet, "... all is finished now: the bequeathed gold shines on a shelf in full view of the future..."

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