This Recording

Found in Translation

by Jeff Goldberg

I am often nervous when I read novels in translation. It is difficult enough to choose a decent book written in English, where I tend to have some cultural knowledge of what constitutes “good” and “bad” literature. These foreign scribes leave few clues for me to find them, plus, when I do, there is the added complication of a third party involved who may have done a poor job of conversion. (Embedded in the Amazon.com review section for Witold Gombrowicz’s Cosmos, there is a fascinating discussion–plus examples–of the destructive translation.)

Some superstars like Haruki Murakami have been given the Western seal of approval. But what about Ryo Murakami, whose books don’t show up in the Amazon search results for “Murakami” until page two? I’ve heard he’s pretty good. But I never read anything that doesn’t show up until page two.

Shakespeare says “Support Your Independent Booksellers.” He also says he’s cool with Amazon.com, which supports your independent book publishers (arguably even more important).

But do not worry. Foreign novels often read much better than the typical Barnes & Noble drippings. Why is this? Is it because the English language is dead, and the only real place to be writing literature exists outside our metaphorical walls? Perhaps. Though I think we also benefit from the literary filter at work. For a novel to be both translated and distributed among such untrusting masses it has to contain some minimal level of quality.

In this spirit, I’ve recently taken a trip (literary only) through Ukraine, Russia, Chechnya, Poland, and (for multiple reasons this last one doesn’t count) Absurdistan. Journey with me to the heart of the Slavic lands.

Andrey Kurkov’s Death and the Penguin: A Ukranian novel about a struggling writing and his pet penguin. This penguin (Misha), an absurd element that could have easily played like Gazoo from The Flintstones, works instead as a subtle reminder of the not-quite-rightness of the world.

The protagonist, Viktor, in typical absurd novel fashion, falls into increasingly difficult scenarios (a job writing odd obituaries, caretaker for a little girl, involvement with the mafia) but doesn’t fall into the trap of so many similar novels where the poor rube just stumbles along. Viktor’s got his own life going on and he’s an active character, and despite his unsentimental nature and his amoral tendencies (not immoral… just amoral), he’s tough not to like.

One of the wonderful things about this novel is how both accessible and how foreign it is. Kurkov doesn’t attempt to explain all the details, because clearly the reader should know what a “dacha” is (it’s a seasonal or year-round second home located in the exurbs of Soviet and Russian cities), plus you can tell that as a writer, Kurkov has had influences that go beyond our typical fare.

Andrey Kurkov’s Penguin Lost: Before I continue, let me reiterate that Death and the Penguin is a terrific novel and you should read it. And let me state that if I ever write a novel that gets positive critical response and moderate commercial appeal, I will probably also crank out a decent-as-possible but mostly-crappy sequel in order to cash in on the first one. That being said, Penguin Lost spends way too much time in a Chechnya war zone for no real reason and doesn’t give nearly enough screentime to the penguin.

Gary Shteyngart’s Absurdistan: This Russian/Absurdistan novel doesn’t count as “foreign” because Shteyngart has been living in New York since he was seven. Unlike Karkov’s novels, Shteyngart explains every possibly-foreign-sounding word for his untraveled reader. I almost abandoned the book a quarter-way through (and then again half-way through). As far as satire goes, it’s good satire – I mean, it’s funny, it’s well written – but sometimes I’m not in the mood for pointless satirization.

Please God, stop letting them make these movies.

You see, I’m not quite sure of the satirical point. At first I thought it was mocking Halliburton and corporate greed, but, no, in this book Halliburton is okay. It seems to be mocking Hasidic Jews, but really it’s mocking the mocking of Hasidic Jews, which is no point at all.

I suppose it’s really mocking the politics of fake minor ex-Soviet satellite nation-states, and, in fact, Shteyngart may actually have a satirical point to make about the politics of fake minor ex-Soviet satellite nation-states, but, really?

The first half doesn’t even have that level of satire, instead meandering between alternative US flashbacks and Russian dilly-dallying (doing everything wrong that Death and the Penguin does right). I know the book is about the character of Misha (note: same name as Karkov’s penguin) and not about Absurdistan, but there’s also something to be said for entertaining the reader.

One ancillary character is a prickish, constantly-mocked, Russian New York writer named “Jerry Shteynfarb.” Ha ha ha. It made me dislike the actual Gary Shteyngart.

Jerry Shteynfarb or Gary Shteyngart?

Genichiro Takahashi’s Sayonara, Gangsters: This has nothing to do with any Slavic nations, but it’s amazing literature in translation and you need to read it.

I want to mock Safran Foer’s blurb on the back of the book where he talks about how it is impossible to describe this book, but he does have a point. It’s very hard to describe. There are four major currents running through this novel:

• The protagonist’s relationship to his current lover.
• The Gangsters.
• The protagonist’stime teaching at a poetry school.
• The protagonist’s child.

All four of these currents intersect in various and strange ways. In the future world of this novel a group of gangsters seem to run things, aliens visit from Jupiter, and the government sends you a postcard on the day you are going to die. But despite that normal future stuff, things also tilt a few degrees off of normality. Vampires live peacefully in basements, poets turn into kitchen appliances, etc.

Forced to supply this book a traditional “meaning,” I’d venture it’s about a man so devastated by the loss of a child that he constructs a shattered world to protect him from his true emotions. Maybe too simple and banal an explanation for such a rich, funny, and emotional book, but it’s difficult dealing with the death of a child in literature (and near impossible in life, I imagine), and tearing apart and rebuilding the entire world seems an appropriate response.

If you can get a copy of it (mine is from the NY public library, but I haven’t returned it yet) I highly recommend it.

Jeff Goldberg is the senior contributor to This Recording. He appears in last year’s The Apocalypse Reader and has a new story coming in the Australian literary journal Torpedo, Volume 2.

YOUR TRADITIONAL WEEKEND MIXTAPE

“Nicoman” – Gang Gang Dance (mp3)

one of the great bands that is out there right now, god bless their label social registry

“First Sight” – These United States (mp3)

my favorite new-ish act, this song deserves a hot chip remix and a gold record

“Paris” – Yael Naim (mp3)

the young lady from the iTunes commercial, very enjoyable

“You Ride We Ride In My Ride” – Hot Chip (mp3)

a classic from back in the day

“Going On” – Gnarls Barkley (mp3)

the best track from their new album, check out their iTunes playlist below

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