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August 6, 2008 at 14:51:11
The School. Reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in Russia by Mark Sashine Page 1 of 8 page(s) |
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Introduction 'To Kill a Mockingbird’ was translated into Russian and published in a very good edition (a hardcover with an introduction and the author’s bio) somewhere in 1968. Not that Harper Lee received any royalties. I read it in 1970 when I was 14 years old. That puts me a year older than Jem Finch in the book. As far as I know the book was not popular among the teenagers but I did notice a special interest among adults. That was the reason I decided to read it at that time and it triggered the events that followed. The dialogs and encounters I site in my essay are real; they really took place, although not always with me personally. But they happened. Since I had arrived into the US, my son went through the US school system and there they read and digested that book. To my utmost surprise the specific aspects of that book, the ones that drew the most attention in Russia here were not even mentioned. I thus had decided to recreate those discussions of my childhood so that my American readers would be able to get some valuable input into the way other cultures pursue theirs. On a specific issue: I will use the word Negro in the essay. That was and is the word Russians use to describe black people, not only Americans. The word does not contain any negative connotation in the Russian language. On the contrary, the ‘black’ adjective has a very strong negative connotation and as such is used in Russian culture as an insult. It is thus understandable that I wanted to show that when referring to the black folks we in Russia did not mean to insult them in any way. 1. To kill what? The book on the shelf
No teenage boy in Russia would pass the book with ‘To kill’ on the cover. I perused the book looking for illustrations. There were none. It was a thick book though. I looked at the cover again and asked my dad,
-What’s Peresmeshnick (Mockingbird- MS)?
-It is a translation,- my dad said, “In Russia we do not have those birds.”
-We have soroka, I said.
_ Yes, and I heard it is a sin to kill it although it is very noisy, nosy and is the first to warn all the forest about the hunters approaching.
-Is this book about hunting?
-Hunting, indeed, - my dad said, “Something similar to Mark Twain’s. Only modern, 1930s or so. The author is a woman. Like the one who wrote The Gadfly.”
-Boring,- I said.
Women- authors were the automatic turnoff. No self-respecting boy of my age would consider reading a book written by a woman. That was because most of the books for the little kids were written by women and we all went through the sea of nursery rhymes where banner was rhymed with amber and granddad Lenin was the savior of all children on Earth.
The Gadfly, written by Ethel Lilian Voinich, somewhere in 1900s was a different story. That book was immensely popular, an eternal bestseller. There were also at least two movies. Children played in those characters. It was a tough argument but again, no teenager would admit at first that he was interested. Not a chance. Boring.
2. Kolya, the boy wizard
We were sitting with Kolya on the stone wall, eating ice-cream and watching cars.
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| 6 comments |
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I see...I think...
Your librarian was your good mother. And Koyla's too. She understood the difference. Your youth in Russia is not so different from youth here. Culture plays a role but the internal experiences are very similar. Back when you and I were youthful in a very youthful way, we shared the innocence of immortality in our hearts. You received your mortality earlier than most. That is common is all youngsters of inquisitive natures. Crying at a first mortality lesson is a step to ownership. Some are silent, some run, some need to be tapped over and over. You ate your dinner whole. However you got here Mark, you didn't ignore your hunger. I know Russia through American eyes. That leaves me at a great disadvantage. Our mortality here is not as individual as what I sense it is in Russia. Here, we give ourselves credit for being many things we are not. We learn to be after we say we are. Maybe this is a difference that's key. I don't know. Just a feeling. Thanx peace by mikel paul (14 articles, 1 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 570 comments [13 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 at 5:59:57 PM  (0+)
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Soroka
is magpie, if my memory serves me. How I miss Siberia! I tried to get a visa again this year, but I think the time is wrong still. Thank you for writing this! I normally stop at three pages, but I couldn't stop reading your article. I also loved your self introduction. I am also a sort of displaced person who is at home everywhere and nowhere. I'm like an eagle among cranes, living in Japan. The longer I stay here, the more of their customs I pick up, but I will never ever be as graceful. by Oh (7 articles, 5 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 321 comments [41 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Aug 7, 2008 at 7:57:14 AM (0+)
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Mark
I continue to be more and more amazed by your writing. I've always been drawn to your style, but I have seen a huge difference over the months; there is an even greater ease now, a fluidity in your words and descriptions - so vivid and sensory rich. I am there, where you place me, and your dialogue, one of the more difficult aspects for many writers, is real and true. I hope you are putting these things in book form, a memoir - I want to read more. And, To Kill a Mockingbird - one of a handful of books that truly changed my life or the way I viewed life. I read it in high school and still, it haunts me. I suppose that is what makes a classic. by Jan Baumgartner (60 articles, 148 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 311 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Aug 7, 2008 at 11:51:38 AM (0+)
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wow
mark, was supposed to be working (still am) and i came across this post. when i saw it was 8 pages, i thought i'd bookmark and come back, but then i just kept reading. to kill a mockingbird is probably my favorite book - though i am not a fan of picking favorites. i couldn't wait to read about your thoughts on it, as a youth, as a male, and as a male youth in russia. you really drew me into that. this past school year my daughter (14) had it as a required reading. i was moved when i saw it on her reading list. when she first picked it up for some reason i got teary-eyed. after reading your article, i think i understand now why i reacted that way. but now i am haunted with wondering what exactly it was - for me - that made that book so very memorable. it's definitely going to give me something to spin around in my mind tonight - for once something that isn't about george bush or nancy pelosi or wars. the first thoughts that come to mind are innocence and the loss of it, but along with that a sense of justice and doing the right thing even when you're outnumbered. i guess i still carry that today. thanks mark for making me think about these things. by Cheryl Biren-Wright (30 articles, 42 quicklinks, 8 diaries, 485 comments [8 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 at 2:20:17 PM (0+)
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Reply: Thanks
I am very happy you sent me a letter and with your comment. I hope your daughter like the book and feel the same way I felt: it was a book of death. It was an adult book. We need not to be afraid of these things. by Mark Sashine (72 articles, 19 quicklinks, 269 diaries, 4101 comments [131 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 at 7:10:31 PM (0+)
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What a treat!
Comment from Ratings: What a treat, Mark! You manage to simultaneously evoke a nostalgia for one of my favorite books and a familiarity of the country of my birth. I can't recall how old I was when I read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time, but I think I was considerably older. I think most of my innocence was already lost when I read it...which makes it all the more interesting to see it through the eyes of a younger person. by Mikhail Lyubansky (15 articles, 11 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 184 comments [7 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Sep 6, 2008 at 10:38:43 PM (0+)
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