Posted by Steven on 29/9/2010, 18:01:36
76.186.51.185
Last year Joffre posted this quote about the John Cournos translation of Biely's Petersburg:
"For English readers, a major obstacle to the appreciation of Petersburg has been that 1959 version, which bears only incidental resemblance to the original. Apart from gross misreadings, it makes numerous cuts, which eliminate, among other things, virtually the entire persona of the narrator, whose presence is essential to any real understanding of what Bely is up to. The translator, John Cournos, deserves our respect as a pioneer, but his work conveys little of the intricacy and subtlety of the original."
I had read the Cournos translation in 2008. Based on Joffre's post I bought the latest translation, which is by John Elsworth. I started reading it last night.
Sure enough, there are major differences. Cournos abridged Petersburg to barely half its original size. Entire paragraphs are missing, when compared with the Elsworth version, and other passages are substantially cut. He also appears to have cut out, or reworded, all instances where the author speaks directly to the reader in the first person. Cournos's style is more conventional, where Elsworth's is unorthodox and playful, presumably a more accurate reflection of Biely's.
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