Viacheslav Iatsko writes...
about the “little” Russian
Viacheslav Iatsko’s story “Two Days in the Life of Alex Lavrov, an Average Russian” originally had the subtitle “little Russian.” I noted that with no context other than the title, readers might take “little” literally and think that Alex was simply... short. Slava explains that he intended to imply that as an average citizen, Alex is powerless in a country run by the “new Russians,” presumably the “big boys.”
Dear Don,
"Little" means here "ordinary." I added this apposition under the influence of an American song that was popular here at the end of 80s, during the so-called perestroika. In the song the word "little" is used in the sense "without much power or influence; of minor status" — I am citing search results in http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/l/l0203900.html.
The main character in the story, Lavrov, is little Russian, in contrast with "new Russians" — people who became rich during Eltsin's reforms using illegal, criminal methods. I am making fun of new Russians, who are now ruling the country in the name of President Putin, in several poems available on my Web page. Unfortunately, I can't translate them into English, verse is untranslatable.
If you think that your audience is unable to detect this meaning of the word "little" I'd better supply the story with such a short preface instead of leaving it off.
Thank you for your interest in my literary work.
Sincerely,
Slava
Copyright © 2004 by Viacheslav Iatsko
And thank you for the explanation, Slava; it does shed light on the story. I like it because it reminds me of Candide. Students typically remark, “What a lurid imagination Voltaire had!” I reply, “No, not really. The main characters are fictitious, of course, and Eldorado — where the rocks are gems and the city is all decorated with gold — is science fiction. But all the events actually happened. Candide is practically a collection of 18th-century newspaper headlines.” You’ve written in a somewhat similar vein, and we readers from far away are bound to be interested!
Your satirical poems might be something new to us; we’ve received ironic poems, yes, but I can think of only one that might be considered satirical. Anyway, you’re right: translating verse is extremely difficult. I can cite some triumphs of poetry translation, but they are few and far between.
Readers outside of Russia may not understand the cultural references and, especially, the humor. But Bewildering Stories is not complacent: like good students, we don’t want to review what we do know; we want to learn what we don’t know!
Copyright © 2004 by Bewildering Stories
