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Abstract:
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The review examines the French translation of the book “The Life of Turgenev” by Boris
Zaytsev, published in the spring of 2018. That variant of Ivan Turgenev biography was originally
published in Russian in Paris, in 1949. However, it took more than half a century to give the French
public a chance to get to know the life of the Russian writer better, thanks to the French translation
of the book by Boris Zaytsev. The study of Turgenev’s life is relevant, on the one hand, due to the
fact that his works have French roots and the year of 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of his birth.
On the other hand, the resurgence of interest in the personality of the Russian writer was brought
about by the publication of the French translation of his biography written by Boris Zaytsev. The
method of comparative analysis applied in the review made it possible to compare the biography
written by Zaytsev to previous biographies of Ivan Turgenev in French. It should be noted that
Boris Zaytsev is still little known to the French readers. However, the biography of Ivan Turgenev
written by him has a special artistic value, as there is a definite and very deep spiritual relationship
between him and the writer himself. The objective of this review is to assess the quality of the
translation made by the French translator Anna Kishilov. It is necessary to pay tribute to the work of
the translator, who successfully managed to convey not only the richness of Boris Zaytsev’s
Russian language, but also preserve the originality of his style, as well as many nuances and details
in Ivan Turgenev’s life description. The conclusion is made that thanks to this translation of the
biography of Ivan Turgenev, the French readers will discover the impressionistic style of the
original text, sometimes ironic, sometimes slightly melancholic. Miraculously enough, Anna
Kishilov has managed to convey the unique style of Boris Zaytsev. |
