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A review by cavalary
Ali şi Nino by Kurban Said
3.0
[EN (RO below):]
Another classic, so of course I didn't like it. Didn't particularly dislike it either, but that was mainly due to giving it the benefit of the doubt, first because I don't know how much was lost in the Romanian translation I read. There were even a number of typos and obvious mistakes, but I also wonder whether the dominating tense, which is typically a regionalism here, was the translator's choice or an attempt, possibly also in the original text, to convey that the main character belongs in a rural, rather archaic setting. Do consider the fact that some archaic terms used didn't have explanations as a problem with this edition, albeit a minor one.
Also gave it the benefit of the doubt in the sense that I took the whole depiction of the characters and that part of the world during that period as more of a caricature, the otherwise sickening closed-mindedness and prejudice on all parts, the ignorance, traditionalism or nationalism, certain to become unbearably infuriating otherwise. It does get somewhat better after a while, however, the part in Dagestan offering something of a respite and the book becoming more serious, more "real", if you will, after the move to Iran, even though those annoyances, to put it mildly, return in force.
Otherwise, the writing often seems rather like a stream of thought, running on but also rushed, more like something of a summary, even speech often seeming summarized while at times still being annoyingly flowery. And the fact that speech and description are often mixed creates confusion. The biggest problem, however, is that it's presented as a love story and I just didn't feel any emotion. Yes, the characters say that they love each other and some actions would prove it if analyzed, but I simply couldn't feel any of it. I didn't care, wasn't invested, wasn't touched, and that's a problem for any book, not to mention for one supposed to belong to a genre that first and foremost aims to trigger an emotional response.
[RO:]
Alt roman clasic, deci bineinteles ca nu mi-a placut. Nici nu mi-a displacut neaparat, dar asta a fost in principal pentru ca l-am tratat cu indulgenta, in primul rand pentru ca nu stiu cat s-a pierdut in traducerea in romana pe care am citit-o. Au fost si mai multe greseli evidente, dar ma intreb si daca faptul ca perfectul simplu e dominant a fost o alegere a traducatoarei sau o incercare, posibil si in textul original, de a transmite ca personajul principal isi are locul intr-un cadru rural, oarecum arhaic. Consider faptul ca unii termeni arhaici folositi n-au fost explicati ca o problema a acestei editii, chiar daca una minora.
Am mai tratat romanul cu indulgenta si in sensul ca am luat intreaga prezentare a personajelor si a acelei parti a lumii in acea perioada ca fiind mai degraba o caricatura, altfel revoltatoarea ingustime a mintilor si prejudecatile tuturor, ignoranta, traditionalismul sau nationalismul, cu siguranta devenind insuportabil de enervante altfel. Totusi exista o imbunatatire dupa ceva timp, partea din Daghestan oferind un oarecare ragaz si cartea devenind mai serioasa, mai "reala", daca doriti, dupa mutarea in Iran, chiar daca acele motive de enervare, ca sa nu spun mai mult, revin in forta.
Altfel, stilul de scris pare a fi mai degraba o transcriere a gandurilor, necontrolat dar si grabit, cam ca un fel de rezumat, chiar si dialogurile deseori parand rezumate dar in acelasi timp uneori enervant de pline de inflorituri. Si faptul ca dialogul si descrierea sunt deseori amestecate creeaza confuzie. Cea mai mare problema, insa, este ca este prezentata ca o poveste de dragoste si n-am simtit niciun fel de emotie. Da, personajele spun ca se iubesc si unele fapte ar dovedi asta daca ar fi analizate, dar eu pur si simplu n-am simit nimic. Nu mi-a pasat, nu m-am simtit implicat, nu m-a atins cu nimic, iar asta e o problema pentru orice carte, cu atat mai mult pentru una care ar trebui sa apartina unui gen care in primul rand cauta sa provoace un raspuns emotional.
Another classic, so of course I didn't like it. Didn't particularly dislike it either, but that was mainly due to giving it the benefit of the doubt, first because I don't know how much was lost in the Romanian translation I read. There were even a number of typos and obvious mistakes, but I also wonder whether the dominating tense, which is typically a regionalism here, was the translator's choice or an attempt, possibly also in the original text, to convey that the main character belongs in a rural, rather archaic setting. Do consider the fact that some archaic terms used didn't have explanations as a problem with this edition, albeit a minor one.
Also gave it the benefit of the doubt in the sense that I took the whole depiction of the characters and that part of the world during that period as more of a caricature, the otherwise sickening closed-mindedness and prejudice on all parts, the ignorance, traditionalism or nationalism, certain to become unbearably infuriating otherwise. It does get somewhat better after a while, however, the part in Dagestan offering something of a respite and the book becoming more serious, more "real", if you will, after the move to Iran, even though those annoyances, to put it mildly, return in force.
Otherwise, the writing often seems rather like a stream of thought, running on but also rushed, more like something of a summary, even speech often seeming summarized while at times still being annoyingly flowery. And the fact that speech and description are often mixed creates confusion. The biggest problem, however, is that it's presented as a love story and I just didn't feel any emotion. Yes, the characters say that they love each other and some actions would prove it if analyzed, but I simply couldn't feel any of it. I didn't care, wasn't invested, wasn't touched, and that's a problem for any book, not to mention for one supposed to belong to a genre that first and foremost aims to trigger an emotional response.
[RO:]
Alt roman clasic, deci bineinteles ca nu mi-a placut. Nici nu mi-a displacut neaparat, dar asta a fost in principal pentru ca l-am tratat cu indulgenta, in primul rand pentru ca nu stiu cat s-a pierdut in traducerea in romana pe care am citit-o. Au fost si mai multe greseli evidente, dar ma intreb si daca faptul ca perfectul simplu e dominant a fost o alegere a traducatoarei sau o incercare, posibil si in textul original, de a transmite ca personajul principal isi are locul intr-un cadru rural, oarecum arhaic. Consider faptul ca unii termeni arhaici folositi n-au fost explicati ca o problema a acestei editii, chiar daca una minora.
Am mai tratat romanul cu indulgenta si in sensul ca am luat intreaga prezentare a personajelor si a acelei parti a lumii in acea perioada ca fiind mai degraba o caricatura, altfel revoltatoarea ingustime a mintilor si prejudecatile tuturor, ignoranta, traditionalismul sau nationalismul, cu siguranta devenind insuportabil de enervante altfel. Totusi exista o imbunatatire dupa ceva timp, partea din Daghestan oferind un oarecare ragaz si cartea devenind mai serioasa, mai "reala", daca doriti, dupa mutarea in Iran, chiar daca acele motive de enervare, ca sa nu spun mai mult, revin in forta.
Altfel, stilul de scris pare a fi mai degraba o transcriere a gandurilor, necontrolat dar si grabit, cam ca un fel de rezumat, chiar si dialogurile deseori parand rezumate dar in acelasi timp uneori enervant de pline de inflorituri. Si faptul ca dialogul si descrierea sunt deseori amestecate creeaza confuzie. Cea mai mare problema, insa, este ca este prezentata ca o poveste de dragoste si n-am simtit niciun fel de emotie. Da, personajele spun ca se iubesc si unele fapte ar dovedi asta daca ar fi analizate, dar eu pur si simplu n-am simit nimic. Nu mi-a pasat, nu m-am simtit implicat, nu m-a atins cu nimic, iar asta e o problema pentru orice carte, cu atat mai mult pentru una care ar trebui sa apartina unui gen care in primul rand cauta sa provoace un raspuns emotional.