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May 24, 2021 21:59
2 yrs ago
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Russian term

божественный пасьянс

Russian to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature Набоков и его жена
Коллеги!

Перевожу большой материал про жизнь и литературу Набокова. В тексте один раз встречается яркий эпитет, которым Владимир характеризует свои отношения с Верой Слоним.
Контекст такой: Набоков называл союз с Верой «божественным пасьянсом». Bepa трудилась, обеспечивая Владимиру возможность писать. Не имея образования, но со знанием четырёх языков, она работала секретарём, переводчиком, стенографисткой, а по ночам набирала на машинке рукописные тексты мужа. Я собрал десяток книг на английском про Набокова, включая письма его жене и даже о ней самой, но в в них такого словосочетания найти не удалось. Единственное, что попалось: Nabokov would later call his marriage ‘cloudless’ (Letters to Vera). В газете The New Yorker нашлась заметка, в которой автор пишет: "In 1924, he reflects, “You know, we are terribly alike.” And a few months later: “You and I are so special; the miracles we know, no one knows, and no one loves the way we love.” He was ready to give her “all of my blood.” Through their decades of vicissitudes, he referred to their marriage as “cloudless”—even to his mistress." (Silent Partner. What do Nabokov's letters conceal? Judith Thurman, November 8, 2015).
В Рунете на запрос "божественный пасьянс" и "божественным пасьянсом" ссылок 7 и 121 соответственно. С одной стороны, можно было предположить, что эти слова появились в их переписке на русском языке, а с другой, Набоков в то время писал в основном на английском, включая письма своей жене. Возможно, они и правда остались только на русском, но меня не оставляет мысль, что где-то она существует в англоязычном варианте кроме того, которое я привел выше (cloudless).
Вот, к примеру, выдержка из книги Стейси Шифф (Vera, Stacy Schiff): "In Hitler’s Berlin, Véra and Vladimir spun a Russian-speaking cocoon around their son, who grew up in as sheltered a context as had his mother, in a fair approximation of the silken comfort of his father. Bundled in furs, Dmitri rolled about Berlin in the Rolls-Royce of prams, on loan from a taxi-driving poet. Few mothers have enjoyed such elegant tributes as does Véra in her husband’s autobiography; Nabokov eulogized the scrupulous care with which she attended to their son’s diet and general hygiene, the patience with which she indulged his passions."
Мне кажется, что пасьянс здесь имеет двойное значение, как в английском слово patience (терпение и игра). Пока что продолжаю изучать материал, но с этим выражением загвоздка, хотя вариант divine/heavenly patience представляется вполне годным для описания отношений между Набоковыми. Сам Владимир не зря писал, что «Мне досталась жена, каких не бывает».
Буду признателен за комментарии и любой полезный материал.

Discussion

The Misha May 27, 2021:
Well, I guess you have your translation then At the very least, you'll have your butt covered - because Brian Boyd himself said so:)
Roman Bouchev (asker) May 27, 2021:
A reply from Brian Boyd "I don't know where that «божественным пасьянсом» comes from; it doesn't ring any bells with me, as such a striking phrase usually would. I would translate it as "a divine game of patience" (otherwise the more general sense of "patience" would block the card-game meaning); "solitaire" is too puzzling in the context of a relationship between two."
The Misha May 27, 2021:
Great! A girl can't be too shy these days, eh?:)) As an afterthought, Nabokov was perhaps the world's best known grand master of not calling things what they are. "True batch outboys the riot" in Ada is one of the best known "technical" examples but it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of this. The man truly made an art form of this deliberate, elegant ... what? Not deception. Mystification, perhaps? Anyhow, I wouldn't be surprised if this thing turned out to be some kind of an "in" joke he shared with his wife or perhaps a few close others. Cockney rhyming slang immediately comes to mind, but that just illustrates the idea of how you can obscure true meanings for whatever reason. Naturally, all of that is pure speculation on my part, so treat it as such.

Methink, in the end you will wind up giving a literal translation (yes, patience, not solitaire) and maybe inserting a translator's note, if appropriate, saying that that's exactly what the man said, whatever that means. I don't think they'll hold it against you.

Good luck with this, and do keep us posted. This is a curious case indeed.
Roman Bouchev (asker) May 27, 2021:
To The Misha Why not. A great idea, as a matter of fact. I've located his contacts and have just sent a long letter detailing the subject matter. Actually, I always do so when in doubt, and the author is still alive. I'll update this thread as soon as I get the reply.
Rachel Douglas May 26, 2021:
@Dylan That's interesting about the British pegs game, but likely not relevant in the context of Nabokov. He emigrated to the USA. His writings are peppered with games of "solitaire." In his memoir, about this mother: "... I can see her sitting at a table and serenely considering the laid-out cards of a game of solitaire..."
Dylan Edwards May 26, 2021:
"Solitaire" in the UK is a game involving jumping of pegs from one hole to another in a board (I may have come across it a long time ago). The card game is known as 'patience' here, and that's what came to mind immediately when I saw the word "пасьянс".
The Misha May 25, 2021:
Why don't you ask Brian Boyd? He is reportedly the world's preeminent authority on Nabokov. If anyone knows, it's gotta be him. Google him up, send him an email. I am sure he wouldn't mind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Boyd
Helen Hagon May 25, 2021:
I wonder whether 'patience' is more of a British/European name for the game. I do remember, as a child (in England), watching my mum playing 'patience' with a pack of cards at the dining room table, and she told me it was called 'patience' because you have to be patient in order to play it properly. The same game that now comes as standard on computers, though, is called 'solitaire', and I rarely hear of people playing patience any more.
Roman Bouchev (asker) May 25, 2021:
Why not Thank you, Rachel! Hopefully, your input takes me on the right path. I continue to do my research on the subject, so the article and the thesis will be of great use to me. I've collected a huge library of books throughout my current project and will do my best to find the most suitable option. If you know someone who is knowledgeable about Nabokov, I'd appreciate their assistance, as well.
Rachel Douglas May 24, 2021:
Solitaire? I don't have a solution, but you might search for "solitaire" rather than "patience." There may be clues in this dissertation: https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/41129119/RAPHEL-... on crossword puzzles in modern literary culture; the introduction is all on Nabokov and the game element in his relationship with Vera. Also take a look at the article you can download here: https://www.academia.edu/24945358/VLADIMIR_NABOKOV_AND_THE_A... in which the author discusses Nabokov's passion for play and games of all sorts, including card games. He cites Nabokov's relationship to Bely's St. Petersburg, in which the character Apollon lays out a game of solitaire at a key moment, and this (so the critic proposes) exemplifies how the novel is what Nietzsche would term "an artistic game which the will, in the eternal abundance of its pleasure, plays with itself" (i.e., solitaire).
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