Customer Reviews

Wandering Stars

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was chomping at the bit to read this new translation of this, my favorite of the great Sholom Aleichem's books, but came away slightly disappointed. The gorgeous cover design and the new introduction by Tony Kushner make this volume worth having from a collector's point of view, but Ms. Shevrin's translation isn't, to my mind, notably different or better than the 1952 translation by Frances Butwin.

Translation is an iffy game, and there are very few who can capture not only the meaning, but the tone of the author. It's really an art form, and if you don't believe me, read Dostoevsky first translated by Constance Garnett (blech--stupefyingly boring) and then by Richard Pevear and Larisa Volokhonsky (hooray!). The difference is truly night and day.

Ms. Shevrin certainly does an efficient and workmanlike job, and she's to be commended for this--anyone who's helping to keep Yiddish literature alive does. But even this translation doesn't convey the earthiness, the tone, the wit, or the cadence of Sholem Aleichem's original Yiddish. The dialogue comes off as stilted, the author's ruminations on various topics come off as pompous rather than ironic, the insults sound more Shakespearean (and thus unfunny) than Yiddish, and the overall warm-hearted zaniness/sadness of the story is lost.

Still and all, it's a great read from a great author.

I purchased this book for my dad. He absolutely loves it. He is really into this author. I've almost purchased him everything he's every written.

Amazon charges a fortune for the kindle. The ought to cap the book prices at $9.99. I'll just buy a used one online

Heard good things about this book, but the kindle edition is over $9.99, so sorry but I will have to pass.