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Patricia Rector's avatar

Thank you Cam, and condolences on your family's loss.

I LOVE seeing the translation comparisions (I'm reading Roger Cockrell's), as well as the images of the Karbovanets Ukranian currency and the sharovary trousers, neither of which I'd taken the time to look up. Thank you for including those.

For me, the recurring use of clocks lends a sense of time of impermance; the Turbin's cozy home is threatened by the political turmoil and their moments together are ticking away.

I'm two episodes in to the TV mini series directed by Sergi Snezhkin. Unexpectedly funny in parts, especially the character of Myshlayevsky.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2301120/?ref_=tt_mlt_i_1

Very much enjoying the book!

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Cams Campbell's avatar

That’s the TV series I’m watching too. Isn’t Myshlayevsky great! Shervinsky is a lovely singer too, isn’t he?

You’re right to pick up on the clocks. Bulgakov includes them often. Tonk…tank…

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Christina's avatar

In the Hungarian translation I’m reading, the word used in the begining of chapter 2 is "molyhos", an old-fashioned word no longer common in everyday use. It would probably translate into English as "downy". The sentence gives me the feeling that the winter looks white, soft, and pleasant.

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Cams Campbell's avatar

Thanks for that Christina. It's interesting that your translation also uses an unusual word here. The word 'shaggy' in English makes me think of a big cuddly sheepdog, or the character in Scooby Doo. Zoikes!

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Christina's avatar

I did some research: the Hungarian word used here refers to plants, not animals. When a plant is fluffy or cottony. Actually, I figured out the word downy by looking up a plant I know that's name is this. This plant is an oak tree, specifically Quercus pubescens, also called Pubescent oak or Downy oak.

The same fluff is found on the surface of some peaches and apricots. But in everyday language, people just say a "hairy" apricot, and the ones without it are "bald" apricots.

My translation is from 1968, but it seems that this word wasn’t really in use even back then.

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