Властитель мира

15:55 Oct 14, 2013 

and particularly to Alla and Rachel for the links. I wish I could split points on this. I truly appreciate your help.

01:19 Oct 14, 2013 

of the Russian source into English, does it make sense to uncover the origin of the expression and who namely is understood as "Master"? Something like "Jupiter! you are wrong." Just like in this link: http://books.google.ca/books?id=ys9FAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA244&lpg=PA...

20:00 Oct 13, 2013 

To this English speaker, this is not so much anger as defiance: you may rule the world but you do not own the truth - my mind and soul are still free.

19:52 Oct 13, 2013 

A quick search in Google Books reveals that the particular phrase was used to refer to Alexander the Great, the Ruler of the (Ancient) World. It also appears as a reference to Alexander III.

Chekhov used this phrase in one of his short stories: "Ибо, если бы человек, властитель мира, умнейшее из дыхательных существ, происходил от глупой и невежественной обезьяны то у него был бы хвост и дикий голос."

18:40 Oct 13, 2013 

Does the phrase "Master of the world" together with "you are wrong" means to a native English speaker that somebody gets angry in polemics because of being wrong? As this is the most probable meaning of the Russian source expression "Властитель мира! Ты - не прав"

15:46 Oct 13, 2013 

In support of CCK's version (because of Alla's i.d. of the derivation), there are good examples of "Master of the World" for Zeus/Jupiter in English, going way back. Here's one from a 1725 book on antiquities:
http://books.google.com/books?id=_2pZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA36&dq=Jup...

15:35 Oct 13, 2013 

Thank you, Alla! Then it becomes more recognizable. Also, thinking of it as "wrong" rather than "not right" helps a bit (duh)! The attribution to Lucian, putting these words in the mouth of Prometheus, seems to be debated, but several sources do note that the expression has been relatively more widespread in Russian than in English. Dostoevsky used it, and this source points out that Chekhov assumed it was so well known that in "The Seagull" he could have just the first two words, and the audience would fill in the rest:
http://www.thealexandrian.net/creations/theater/seagull/jupi...

14:06 Oct 13, 2013 

12:31 Oct 13, 2013 

Maitre du monde by Jules Verne dated 1904
Vlastelin mira by Alexander Belyaev dated 1926

The second one comes later in your timeline than the letter, but the first one is fair game since Russians have always been very much into Jules Verne. Translating directly from the French, it yields the Master of the World, which is how it is known in the English-speaking world..

09:15 Oct 13, 2013 

властитель дум (А. Пушкин) - lord of the souls of men (translation by Ch. E. Turner) ; a master mind; a leading (guiding) light

02:33 Oct 13, 2013 

Definitely curious! Yes, I did find the link you've posted below, but I didn't dig as deep as you did to find the info in your second post. Keep me posted, no pun intended :)

01:11 Oct 13, 2013 

The phrase "властитель мира" was used by the first two, alluding to the Tsar or the Empress. I see one discussion saying that Tolstoy used it in War and Peace, regarding Napoleon, but I didn't readily find the passage. The "title" was also mocked by various writers. Still didn't find it with "you're wrong."

00:45 Oct 13, 2013 

You probably found this already yourself, Judi, but the phrase appears in this 1946 memoir:
http://www.e-reading.by/bookreader.php/1774/Allilueva_-_Vosp...
The narration at that point concerns action taking place in 1911 or 1912. It does make it sound as if it were a catch-phrase at that time, but I don't find any earlier references. Obviously one could translate it literally, but that doesn't disperse the intrigue.