Subject
sapphic vorschmacks
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Date
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'But no sapphic vorschmacks,' mumbled Van into his pillow. (2.8)
From Ilf and Petrov's "The Twelve Chairs" (Chapter Eight Goluboy vorishka*):
Хор с усилием загремел, как сквозь подушку: Та-та-та, та-та-та, та-та-та, То-ро-ром, ту-ру-рум, ту-ру-рум...**
The choir increased its volume with an effort, as though singing through a pillow: "Ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, Te-ro-rom, tu-ru-rum, tu-ru-rum . . ."
Застенчивый Александр Яковлевич тут же, без промедления, пригласил пожарного инспектора отобедать чем бог послал.
В этот день бог послал Александру Яковлевичу на обед бутылку зубровки, домашние грибки, форшмак из селёдки, украинский борщ с мясом первого сорта, курицу с рисом и компот из сушеных яблок.
Without further hesitation the bashful Alchen invited the fire inspector to take pot luck and lunch with him.
Pot luck that day happened to be a bottle of Zubrovka vodka, home-pickled mushrooms, vorschmack of minced herring, Ukrainian beet soup containing first-grade meat, chicken and rice, and stewed apples. (ibid.)
Мадмуазель Собак слыла культурной девушкой: в её словаре было около ста восьмидесяти слов. При этом ей было известно одно такое слово, которое Эллочке даже не могло присниться. Это было богатое слово: гомосексуализм. Фима Собак, несомненно, была культурной девушкой.
Mlle Sobak was reputed to be a cultured girl: her vocabulary contained about a hundred and eighty words. One of the words was one that Ellochka would not even have dreamed of. It was the meaningful word "homosexuality". Fima Sobak was undoubtedly a cultured girl. ("The 12 Chairs", Chapter Twenty Two "Ellochka the Cannibal")
Fima Sobak brings to mind Cordula Tobak (born de Prey), Ada's schoolmate at Brownhill whom Van suspects of being a lesbian (1.27). When Van meets Cordula in Paris (3.2), he quotes the stale but appropriate lines he had known since the days his schoolmates annoyed him with them:
The Veens speak only to Tobaks
But Tobaks speak only to dogs.
(Viny govoryat lish' s Tobakami,
a Tobaki govoryat lish' s sobakami)
Tobak + s = Sobak + t = St Koba (Koba was Stalin's nickname; Colonel St Alin, a scoundrel, was a second in Demon's duel with d'Onsky, 1.2)
*"The Bashful Chiseller". Interestingly, in modern slang goluboy (blue) means "pansy".
**The choir of old women sings Blok: Слышен звон бубенцов издалёка. Это тройки знакомый разбег... А вдали простирался широ-о-ко Белым саваном искристый снег!.. ("We hear the sound of distant jingling, The troika's on its round. Far into the distant stretches The sparkling snowy ground!..")
At 'Ursus' (the best Franco-Estotian restaurants in Manhattan Major) Van, Ada and Lucette listened to Russian songs. (2.8)
Alexey Sklyarenko
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From Ilf and Petrov's "The Twelve Chairs" (Chapter Eight Goluboy vorishka*):
Хор с усилием загремел, как сквозь подушку: Та-та-та, та-та-та, та-та-та, То-ро-ром, ту-ру-рум, ту-ру-рум...**
The choir increased its volume with an effort, as though singing through a pillow: "Ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, ta-ta-ta, Te-ro-rom, tu-ru-rum, tu-ru-rum . . ."
Застенчивый Александр Яковлевич тут же, без промедления, пригласил пожарного инспектора отобедать чем бог послал.
В этот день бог послал Александру Яковлевичу на обед бутылку зубровки, домашние грибки, форшмак из селёдки, украинский борщ с мясом первого сорта, курицу с рисом и компот из сушеных яблок.
Without further hesitation the bashful Alchen invited the fire inspector to take pot luck and lunch with him.
Pot luck that day happened to be a bottle of Zubrovka vodka, home-pickled mushrooms, vorschmack of minced herring, Ukrainian beet soup containing first-grade meat, chicken and rice, and stewed apples. (ibid.)
Мадмуазель Собак слыла культурной девушкой: в её словаре было около ста восьмидесяти слов. При этом ей было известно одно такое слово, которое Эллочке даже не могло присниться. Это было богатое слово: гомосексуализм. Фима Собак, несомненно, была культурной девушкой.
Mlle Sobak was reputed to be a cultured girl: her vocabulary contained about a hundred and eighty words. One of the words was one that Ellochka would not even have dreamed of. It was the meaningful word "homosexuality". Fima Sobak was undoubtedly a cultured girl. ("The 12 Chairs", Chapter Twenty Two "Ellochka the Cannibal")
Fima Sobak brings to mind Cordula Tobak (born de Prey), Ada's schoolmate at Brownhill whom Van suspects of being a lesbian (1.27). When Van meets Cordula in Paris (3.2), he quotes the stale but appropriate lines he had known since the days his schoolmates annoyed him with them:
The Veens speak only to Tobaks
But Tobaks speak only to dogs.
(Viny govoryat lish' s Tobakami,
a Tobaki govoryat lish' s sobakami)
Tobak + s = Sobak + t = St Koba (Koba was Stalin's nickname; Colonel St Alin, a scoundrel, was a second in Demon's duel with d'Onsky, 1.2)
*"The Bashful Chiseller". Interestingly, in modern slang goluboy (blue) means "pansy".
**The choir of old women sings Blok: Слышен звон бубенцов издалёка. Это тройки знакомый разбег... А вдали простирался широ-о-ко Белым саваном искристый снег!.. ("We hear the sound of distant jingling, The troika's on its round. Far into the distant stretches The sparkling snowy ground!..")
At 'Ursus' (the best Franco-Estotian restaurants in Manhattan Major) Van, Ada and Lucette listened to Russian songs. (2.8)
Alexey Sklyarenko
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/