MURDER A LA RUSSE
SIR,—Translators, especially Russian ones, will sel- dom agree on any particular point of interpretation. I do not wish to deal piecemeal with Mr. Magar- shack's fretful comments about my supposed mis- translation of Chekhov's Platonov, my 'sometimes illiterate dialogue,' and the picture of Mr. Rex Harrison on the dust jacket. Indeed, many Russian commentators have criticised Chekhov's original text precisely for its 'illiterate dialogue' and its abund- ance of French and Latin dicta.
Of course, if Mr. Magarshack says so, I suppose we Russians will just have to change our ways and start to say 'throw' when we mean 'push aside' and vice versa. But verbs and their dictionary meanings apart, what of the context? Platonov, shot by his mistress, lies expiring on the stage; in the general confusion the doctor calls for water; then, instead of giving it to the dying man, he drinks it himself and disposes of the decanter with whichever verb Mr. Magarshack cares to think of! And Mr. Magar- shack is still not amused! Obviously we, the un- initiated, Mr. Devine and I, have erred in our bourgeois decadence, thinking this to be 'laughter through tears.' This is a piece of social criticism if ever there was: the ruthless unmasking of the ineffi- ciency and corruption of the tsarist medical pro- fession!
That a translator ot Mr. Magarshack's reputation should be so dogmatic in his assertions is, I suppose, understandable. But let him be warned, the path he treads is a perilous one, its ultimate end is the trans- lating machine, and that will put us both out of business!
That so many cuts were necessary was regrettable, but not to be avoided in a version intended primarily for stage presentation. Mr. Magarshack should con- sult the 1923 edition, of which he seems to be un- aware, if he wishes to see just how ruthlessly Chekhov slashed his own work. For the rest, let Mr. Magarshack's alternative 'in the Spanish fashion' and the success that my 'weird translation' enjoyed at the Royal Court Theatre speak for themselves.
Previous page
