Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Penguin Classics (1992), Paperback, 144 pages
Description
James Greene's acclaimed translations of the poetry of Osip Mandelshtam, now in an extensively revised and augmented edition.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jburlinson
In his preface, Clarence Brown, the "scholar" (as opposed to the "poet") of this translating team, has basically written my little review for me: "Merwin has translated Mandelstam into Merwin." Much as I like Merwin, and this is considerably much, Merwin is no Mandelstam. This is not a qualitative
Show More
judgment, a la Kennedy/Quayle; it's just a relatively obective observation. One issue that perplexes me: since no attempt is made to replicate Mandelstam's metrics or rhyme schemes, why do Brown & Merwin consistently rearrange the sequencing of lines, when more faithful renderings would at least preserve a little of Mandelstam's poetic logic? Show Less
LibraryThing member timjones
Mandelstam's and Anna Akhmatova are the foremost poetic witnesses to the effects of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath on the Russian intelligentsia. Mandelstam's terrible fate - imprisonment and extinguishment at Stalin's whim - should not obscure the brilliance of his poetry, which shone
Show More
brighter the darker his personal circumstances. Mandelstam's work is lyrical, tender, and occasionally cutting; his landscape poetry is without equal. I'm slightly less impressed with the translations in this volume, which seem rather flat in comparison to other translations of Mandelstam I have seen; but that's a minor criticism of a fine book. Show Less
LibraryThing member jburlinson
A good selection. The best aspect of this edition is the parallel presentation with Russian on the left page and the English on the right. McDuff provides translations that are faithful to the "meaning" of the lines, but which fail to convey the rythyms and ryhmes of the originals. Without
Show More
question, that's asking for an awful lot. But competent translations do only scant justice to inspired originals. Show Less
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Osip Mandelstam's poetry is exquisite and relevant to our age through his influence on others like Celan and Lowell. This is a small volume whose value exceeds the bounds of its covers.
Subjects
Language
Original language
Russian
Physical description
144 p.
ISBN
0140184740 / 9780140184747