Verses and Versions: Three Centuries of Russian Poetry - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0151012644 ISBN 13: 9780151012640

Publisher: Harcourt, 2008

Synopsis

Vladimir Nabokov was hailed by Salman Rushdie as the most important writer ever to cross the boundary between one language and another. A Russian emigre who began writing in English after his forties, Nabokov was a trilingual author, equally competent in Russian, English, and French. A gifted and tireless translator, he bridged the gap between languages nimbly and joyously.

Here, collected for the first time in one volume as Nabokov always wished, are many of his English translations of Russian verse, presented next to the Russian originals. Here, also, are some of his notes on the dangers and thrills of translation. With an introduction by Brian Boyd, author of the prize-winning biography of Nabokov, Verses and Versions is a momentous and authoritative contribution to Nabokov's published works.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

From Vladimir Nabokov, one of the most talented translators of all time, comes Verses and Versions --  at long last, the realization of Nabokov's wish to collect and publish his poetry translations with selections fromEvgeniy Baratïnski * Konstantin Batyushkov * Rémi Belleau * Aleksandr Blok * Anton Delvig * Gavrila Derzhavin * Afanasiy Fet * Vladislav Hodasevich * Nikolay Karamzin * Vilgelm Kyuhelbeker * Mihail Lermontov * Mihail Lomonosov * Osip Mandelshtam * Nikolay Nekrasov * Bulat Okudzhava * Aleksandr Pushkin * Henri de Régnier * Fyodor Tyutchev * Vasiliy Zhukovski

 

PRAISE FOR THE TRANSLATIONS OF VLADIMIR NABOKOV

"It was Nabokov's gift to bring paradise wherever he alighted."?John Updike

"As entertaining as Rabelais, as dependable as the O.E.D. What Nabokov has done is to throw a bridge between Russian and American culture."?The Virginia Quarterly Review

"Nabokov... is not merely a translator; he is also a truly remarkable teacher." ? Time Magazine

"Mr. Nabokov has not merely rendered the most precious gem of Russia's poetic heritage into limpid, literal poetic translation. He has given Pushkin's wondrous lines the glow and sparkle of their Russian original." --  The New York Times

About the Author:

VLADIMIR NABOKOV (1899–1977), a Russian-born poet, novelist, literary critic, translator, and essayist, was awarded the National Medal for Literature for his life's work in 1973. He taught literature at Wellesley, Stanford, Cornell, and Harvard. He is the author of many works, including Lolita, Pale Fire, Ada, and Speak, Memory.  BRIAN BOYD is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and is a renowned expert on the life and works of author Vladimir Nabokov. STANISLAV SHVABRIN is a scholar, translator, and lecturer in Russian literature at the University of California, Los Angeles.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harcourt
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0151012644
• ISBN 13: 9780151012640
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 441
• Editor: Brian Boyd, Stanislav Shvabrin