Black Snow - Bulgakov

[marta-mb.livejournal.com]

I just borrowed a book called "The Black Snow" by Mikhail Bulgakov. It's the recent translation of "Teatral'nyj Roman" ("Zapiski Pokojnika"), translated by Michael Glenny. I wonder why the title was altered to the Black Snow?
He also translated a number of works of Bulgakov (White Guard, The Heart of a Dog). If you ever came across these translations, what is your opinion of them?
And one more question: is the film The Master and Margarita worth watching? Thanks.

Comments

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

1. The Black Snow was the title of the play the main character of "Театральный роман" was writing.
2. No idea, sorry.
3. Positively no.

[oryx_and_crake]

The titles (of books, movies etc.) are not translated as such; more often than not they are given a new "saleable" title. So don't look for any rationale for "The Black Snow".

[oryx_and_crake]

See, for example, Akunin's "Azazel" that was renamed into "Winter Queen" for no reason whatsoever ("Winter Queen" being a name of a hotel in which a character stays for a short time, so there was no reason whatsoever to rename the whole book after it)

[marta-mb.livejournal.com]

Perhaps this makes sense from a certain point, but what about the author's opinion?!
An alternative title to this work is "The Theatrical Novel", which would sound a bit clumsy for such a brilliant novel. Actually, this book should be called "The Notes of a Dead Man", which sounds quite like Bulgakov and conveys the state of his mind at that time.

(I think that Bulgakov definitely was a man of great genius.)

[oryx_and_crake]

I suppose the publishers ask for the author's consent when possible.

Sorry for my english...

[lumberjan.livejournal.com]

The main advantage of the M&M film is the fact that it is absolutly clozed to the text... It has some drawbags, but i like it.

Re: Sorry for my english...

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

hope you don't mind corrections: "absolutely," "close," "drawbacks". You should say the film remains close (or true) to the text. :)

Re: Sorry for my english...

[marta-mb.livejournal.com]

drawbags sound better :-))

[jadore-vin.livejournal.com]

I read Glenny's translation of Heart of a Dog a couple years ago. I could hardly put it down- loved it.

[marta-mb.livejournal.com]

I'm going to buy one.

[upwave.livejournal.com]

"White Guard" is close translation "Белая гвардия". "White" army was against "Red" army (communists) in the russian Civil War.

[la-dy-ashley.livejournal.com]

a bit offtopic, but if you want to see good movie based on Bulgakov´s works get ¨The Heart of a Dog¨. It´s fabuluos.

[marta-mb.livejournal.com]

All right. My friend has it at home, and I have watched it. What do you like about it? I think it conveys the atmosphere, and Sharikov is great.

[la-dy-ashley.livejournal.com]

To me, everything is great: the humor, the irony - it really brings together the Soviet reality as we (those who were born much later) imagine it. That´s the image we have, I mean.

[quem98.livejournal.com]

A lot of people don't like Glenny's translations because of that very reason.

[fiachasorcha.livejournal.com]

Glenny's translations are super readable. As for how close to the original, I've never read them in Russian (yet at least) so I can't vouch. But great books just to read.

[crashonthelevee.livejournal.com]

Master and Margarita movie is awful. I totally agree re The Heart of a Dog, a great movie. Another great movie (quite old though, but it's great anyway, with those 'old-school' actors starring and some genius camera work) is Бег.

[alek-morse.livejournal.com]

///Another great movie (quite old though, but it's great anyway, with those 'old-school' actors starring and some genius camera work) is Бег.///

I agree totally...
There is brilliant and symbolic parallel with Master&Margarita in the final scene of Бег.

[marta-mb.livejournal.com]

I heard that Бег is one of the best dramatic plays ever written, though the author never managed to see it on stage. I am eager to read it in Russian. I already read parts of it (the second act), and I think it's definitely the best piece of writing dedicated to the war in general.

[crashonthelevee.livejournal.com]

The best book about the war in general (imo) is Cryptonomicon. As for the civil war - yes, I guess Bulgakov's the best. The movie Бег is slightly tainted by the Soviet ideology (coulnd't have been other way), but still great.

[spiritrc.livejournal.com]

I disagree on Master and Margarita. I think it's the best screen version of the novel.
The novel is very hard for making screen versions and I've never seen a good one except
for the latest version with Basilashvili as Woland and Filippenko as Azazello. The movie
is not perfect, but it is very and very good.

As for "The Heart of a Dog", that is indeed one of the best Russian (or even world)
movies in my opinion.

[alek-morse.livejournal.com]

///And one more question: is the film The Master and Margarita worth watching? Thanks.///

I would rate the M&M series by director Bortko as 6 or 7 of 10 points, I mean a common rating. I suppose that series is too much lengthy. It would be better, if that M&M film composed of only 4-5 episodes, but not 10. That's why a quality of this series was lowered. However there is lot of brilliant actors' work in this series: Oleg Basilashvili as Voland, Vasily Livanov as Professor Stravinsky, Galkin as poet Bezdomny etc...

I think the M&M film is quite worth watching. In any way, it became as most prominent TV-event of last 10 years, of course, among all other TV series.

Another Bortko's film "Heart of a Dog" is more successful, may say, is masterpiece, IMHO.

[schlagen.livejournal.com]

You have to be careful with Glenny's translations.. whilst they're a great read in English it does sometimes mean that in parts they stray somewhat from the original Russian. Understandable really as idiom and style is not necessarily directly transferrable from one language to the other.

And if you're reading either the novel 'White Guard' or the play 'White Guard/Day of the Turbins' (I forget which it is), be careful, as one of Alexei's dreams is missed out completely in Glenny's translation. Odd, and quite a glaring mistake really.

Saying all that, I really did enjoy his translation of Master & Margarita.. it's considered to be one of the best.

[marta-mb.livejournal.com]

OK, I'll bear that in mind.

[valnoled.livejournal.com]

it's up to you to decide whether watch that movie ot not.
As a fan of Bulgakov and 'M and M' in particular I did not like it. It is close to text, but the characters just do not fit. Thought that is common problem of percieving a film based on a famous book. ))

[spiritrc.livejournal.com]

That's a pure question of perception. The movie matched my perception of the book almost exactly or at least to the extent that I can accept.

[labioska.livejournal.com]

The book "M&M" is much better than film, I think.
So it worth reading :)