Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin (Author), Vladimir Nabokov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1991 | Series: Princeton/Bollingen Paperbacks

This is the widely acclaimed translation of Russian literature's most seminal work. Pushkin's "novel in verse" has influenced Russian prose as well as poetry for more than a century. By turns brilliant, entertaining, romantic and serious, it traces the development of a young Petersburg dandy as he deals with life and love. Influeneced by Byron, Pushkin reveals the nature of his heroes through the emotional colorations found in their witty remarks, nature descriptions, and unexpected actions, all conveyed in stanzas of sonnet length (a form which became known as the Onegin Stanza), faithfully reproduced by Walter Arndt inthis Bollingen Prize translation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Nabokov's translation and commentary, taken together, can best be considered as a sui generis work of art--perhaps his ultimate masterpiece. -- J. Thomas Shaw, Slavic and East European Journal

Product Details

• Paperback: 383 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691019045
• ISBN-13: 978-0691019048
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #751,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nabokov and Pushkin, May 12, 2007

By 

Jeremy Schoonhoven "Jeremy Schoonhoven" (Portland, Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

Since Nabokov's literal translation of Eugene Onegin -- volume one -- takes little notice of sound, the result, standing by itself, leaves a lot to be desired. That's what the nearly four hundred page commentary -- volume two -- is for. Carrying water for Pushkin's music, it stands somewhere between a labor of love and belabored penance.

"An attempt has been made," writes Nabokov, in its forward, "by a discussion of the actual melody of this or that line, to explain the enchantment of [Pushkin's] poetry." That's something to think over, if you plan on buying either of these volumes: Pushkin's enchantment is explained by the commentary, rather than demonstrated by the poem.

Bound seperately, Nabokov's is a translation apart. To understand the whole of it, it's required we swing from the slick rush of poetry, to the slow burn of scholarly prose, and back again, creating a problem for equilibrium. Though peculiar, often absorbing, and always informative, the reading's simply exhausting, which is rather wasteful to say, since the commentary, and the translation too, for that matter -- as parts -- are very fine. (But these are the limits of my patience, not yours.)

Recommended for big fans of Nabokov, and those ironman readers out there.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never mention "literature" without reading this book!, March 29, 2003

By 

Kang Kyung Ah (Seoul, Corea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

I'm a Russian Language and Literature major in Yonsei Univ. in Korea. Having lived in Moscow for around 3 years, I'd heard there a lot about Pushkin and read many of his famous works. The most prestigious of his, however, must be "Onegin." It's a great mixture of verse and prose in its form. If possible, try to read this in Russian, as well. This long poetical prose was written for 8 years and the ending rhyme perfectly matches for the entire line until the very end. Compared to others, it is definitely a conspicuous and brilliant one. "Onegin" can be the author himself or yourself. The love between Onegin and TaTyana is neither the cheap kind of love that often appears in any books nor the tragic one that is intended to squeze your tears. As a literature, this book covers not only love between passionate youth, but also a large range of literary works in it, which can tell us about the contemporary literature current and its atmosphere. Calling Onegin "My friend", Pushkin, the author, shows the probability and likelihood of the work. Finally, I'm just sorry that the title has been changed into English. The original name must be "Yevgeni Onegin(¬¦¬Ó¬Ô¬Ö¬ß¬Ú¬Û ¬°¬ß¬Ö¬Ô¬Ú¬ß)." If you are a literature major or intersted in it, I'd like to recommand you read this. You can't help but loving the two lovers and may reread it, especially the two correspondences through a long period of time. Only with readng this book, you'll also learn a huge area of the contemporary literature of the 19th century from the books mentioned in "Onegin" that take part as its subtext. Enjoy yourself!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It was a help to our reading group, September 9, 2009

By 

Jim Clark (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

Even though I had read Eugene Onegin several times it had always been by the proverbial seat of my pants. But when my reading group decided to delve into this classic I decided it was a good time to get some more info and background on it.
McNab did not disappoint. He filled in a number of holes that would have been difficult for us to have figured out. I certainly didn't read all of it but I dug in whenever I (or we) had a question. It was pretty helpful and, as expected, interesting.