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The Twelve Chairs
 
 
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The Twelve Chairs (Paperback)

by Ilf (Author), Petrov (Author), Maurice Friedberg (Introduction), John H. C. Richardson (Translator)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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4.8 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Not re:this translation., July 31 2003
By "alicebcbound" (Boston,MA USA) - See all my reviews
I never read this in English,so I'm not going to comment on the quality of the Northwestern U. translation,but I did read it in Russian. First off,everyone needs to read this book in order to understand Russians better. I re-read it many times in my teenage years simply because if you live in Russia(or any other Eastern European country for that matter),you will be able to understand those countless quotes taken from this masterpiece and incorporated into everyday language. The characters are hysterical in the least, and the story so seemingly simple contains much bigger messages than available to the naked eye.Please,read this book,and if you understand the humour and sadness of it,you'll be well on your way to understanding not just Russian culture but humans in general.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Poor translation, Jan 27 2003
By James Ferguson (Vilnius, Lithuania) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
I think this book suffers mostly through translation because I've seen the Russian film versions any number of times, and found "The Twelve Chairs" to be utterly hilarious. However, the humor seems lost in the Northwest translation. I think of Mark Twain who lamented that "awful German language" for so badly maligning his "Celebrated Jumping Frog."

I think the Northwestern Univ. Press translations in general are weak. Imre Kertesz has recently taken them to task for the translations of two of his works. It seems that Northwestern's heart is in the right place, trying to capture some of the lesser known works in world literature, but that their selection of translations is rather shoddy.

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5.0 out of 5 stars I gave it 5 stars... but ?!, Sep 23 2002
By Vlad (russianwriter.net) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
I gave it 5 stars , but I have few points to make !
1. Point , why I do like it !
Because it is very funny . They use Russian language in exellent way ! They use sarcasm even better ! They laugh at dirt , they cry at reality ... They make us confused , and pretend , they didn't mean it . The parody of thear time ... the agony of society convulgions... The hope for better... the understanding of dead end !
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Soviet Union
This is one of the best and the funniest books ever written in the Soviet Union. Everyone in Russia knows it by heart. Read more
Published on Aug 31 2002 by Boris Zubry

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique
I think that if you asked my American friends, they would tell you that I quote the 12 chairs and the golden calf, like evangelists quote the Bible. Read more
Published on April 23 2002 by Bookslinger

5.0 out of 5 stars Gentlemen of the Jury, things are moving!
This is a farcical tale of three men in search of treasure buried in one of 12 identical armchairs. The story is very much a buddy tale of adventures and misadventures as the... Read more
Published on Dec 3 2001 by Alessandro Bruno

5.0 out of 5 stars Your life is NOT Complete without this book!
If you talk to ANY Russian in the world, and mention "The Twelve Chairs" from their cultural heritage, or the "Rogei e kapuuta" phony business in the book, ALL... Read more
Published on Jun 1 2001 by Jonathon Moseley

5.0 out of 5 stars Accidents of fate
It is a long fateful story of how I came to read this book, but I am glad I did. It is one of the best books I have ever read. Read more
Published on Nov 8 2000 by Ayako Tanabe

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Genius
I have a friend who hates reading. Does not like to read period. Never finished a book in college. He read this book in three days. Read more
Published on Oct 13 2000 by P. Goncharov

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book ever!
10 stars on a five-stars scale! Perhaps, the best way to describe this masterpiece is to say that I have re-read so many times, that I even don't know how many. Read more
Published on Mar 22 2000 by Ilya Meyzin

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential source for understanding Russian culture
I've read the novel together with its sequel, The Golden Calf, in Russian about a dozen times. Now I simply have to get an English copy to share it with my non-Russian speaking... Read more
Published on Mar 14 2000 by alex711

4.0 out of 5 stars The *Real* Demise of ILF and PETROV
Through Bibliofind.com I did, indeed, find a copy of THE GOLDEN CALF, the sequel to THE TWELVE CHAIRS that two of the reader reviews mention (in an omnibus edition containing both... Read more
Published on Jan 14 2000 by Pelaphus

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best satire books in Russia
Well, I actually read the original books, in Russian, but depending on how good the translation is, this book can range from excellent to pretty good. Read more
Published on Aug 1 1999

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