Dostoyevsky isn't difficult • Hacker News Board

Re: Dostoyevsky isn't difficult

#321

Post by __rito__ » Fri, Jun 26, 2026, 1:03 PM UTC

selicos wrote: post #305

__rito__ wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The main difficulty is the names. The names make it so hard. I think that's an exciting part. When I am bored with names of similar kind, the names make the characters somewhat exotic. I don't know about you, but the name "Grushenka" adds to everything that is going on with that woman.

In my experience it's more the Russian diminutives across the language that cause issues. If you're familiar with the nickname variations then it's easy to follow. If you aren't you'll be taking notes and looking up why Vladimir is called Vova or Volodya, or why Anna becomes Anya or Ayn. It takes an adjustment or familiarity.

Agree with that. But I also meant full-names.

With so many Williams, Johns, Franks, Bens, etc. reading a novel with exotic names is just breath of fresh air.

Also feel the same when watching non-English modern TV/web series. Like Nordic or Spanish stuff.

Re: Dostoyevsky isn't difficult

#322

Post by slackfan » Fri, Jun 26, 2026, 1:50 PM UTC

LearnYouALisp wrote: post #288

slackfan wrote: post #53

The Pevear and Volohonsky "translations" are an affront to english prose, russian literature, and the craft of translation in general. A heavily quantized LLM with an aneurism would provide the reader with a better translation than that trash. (I used to be a professional translator for the relevant languages, so I have opinions™)

As a matter of tangent-(ial relation), have you ever come across or read any of Silverman's translations of mathematics or science from Russian? Supposedly they were slanted by opinion, a mis-informed Westerner's perspectives, and had a number of liberties such as re-arrangement (in a mathematics text!). I wanted to read the (more recent) original and asked a classmate to buy it on an exchange but have not met up aft…

I have not, but you can verify for yourself - https://github.com/nika-skybytska/fa/tree/master/books has a copy of Komogorov/Fomin's text that's well known vs Introductory Real Analysis in his translation available on the Internet Archive. A cursory glance at the respective TOCs shows that there is reordering.

First couple of chapters match up, then it diverges heavily.

Re: Dostoyevsky isn't difficult

#323

Post by ivanbalepin » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 4:14 AM UTC

usrnm wrote: post #101

ventana wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually started re-reading Crime and Punishment right after writing my previous comment, because I barely remember anything after many years. These are the second and the third paragraphs, and reading this text now, in my forties, I perfectly understand everything that's written, and the emotions the protagonist feels, because I know by my very own experience what it is to pay rent, to be in debt, and to have no m…

It's called empathy, we don't have to experience exactly the same thing as other people to be able to understand them. The author himself never experienced the things he's writing about. Do teenagers lack empathy? Of course, but this is education, after all

> The author himself never experienced the things he's writing about

not all of those things, but a good part, he did. He was extremely broke at several points in his adult life, and served in prison, and was almost executed, so he's seen quite a few lows he's writing about.

Re: Dostoyevsky isn't difficult

#324

Post by mananaysiempre » Sat, Jun 27, 2026, 4:32 PM UTC

gocsjess wrote: post #313

thiht wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Jack for John Wow, is this one common?

Somehow nobody knows the ff. are the same: Hahya Ivan Giovanni Shawn

continued: Yohanan Johann John Jack Sean Evan Ian Jean Juan João Hans Jan Vanya Vano (and I’m not including feminine variants)

Although if we’re talking Hebrew > Greek > European borrowings I’m guessing Chava = Eve is funnier. For bonus funny points, ave (as in Ave Maria or Ave, imperator) comes from essentially the same Hebrew word as well.