Novels, Tales, Journeys: The Complete Prose of Alexander Pushkin
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2. the late Count Sheremetev: Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev (1751–1809) was a member of an old and extremely wealthy noble family who were important patrons of the theater.
3. the philistines: A nickname given by German university students to the local townspeople.
We Were Spending the Evening at the Dacha…(1835)
1. Mme de Staël: See note 5 to Roslavlev.
2. a Gambs armchair: The Prussian furniture maker Heinrich Daniel Gambs (1769–1831) moved to Petersburg in 1795 and set up shop there.
3. the Maid of Orleans…Mme Roland…: The Maid of Orleans, referring to Joan of Arc, is the title of a satirical poem by Voltaire (see note 8 to The Moor of Peter the Great) published in 1762, and of a tragedy by Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) first produced in 1801. Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon (1635–1719), was a favorite and later the second wife of Louis XIV. Marie-Jeanne Phlippon Roland (1754–1793) and her husband were supporters of the French Revolution on the moderate Girondist side; purged by Robespierre during the Reign of Terror, she was imprisoned and died on the guillotine.
4. Antony…La Physiologie du mariage: The drama Antony, by Alexander Dumas (1802–1870), described by its author as “a scene of love, jealousy, and anger,” was a great success when first produced in Paris in 1831. La Physiologie du mariage, by Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850), a rather daring essay for its time, was published in 1829.
5. Aurelius Victor…Cornelius Nepos…Suetonius: Sextus Aurelius Victor (ca. 320–ca. 390), was the author of the short historical work De Caesaribus (“On the Caesars”); several other works have been attributed to him, including De Viris Illustribus (“On Illustrious Men”). Most of the works of the Roman biographer Cornelius Nepos (ca. 110 BC–ca. 25 BC) have been lost, but he is referred to and quoted by a number of other Roman historians. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (ca. 69–ca. 122), Roman historian, was the author of De Vita Caesarum, best known in English as The Twelve Caesars.
6. Tacitus…Sallust: Publius Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56–ca. 117), Roman senator and historian, was the author of the Annals and the Histories, rather detailed accounts of the period of the emperors Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. Gaius Sallustius Crispus (86–ca. 35 BC), the earliest Roman historian known by name, was of plebeian origin and a supporter of Julius Caesar during the civil war, for which he was made governor of the province of Africa Nova.
7. the marquise George Sand: Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin (1804–1876), known by her literary pseudonym George Sand, was baronne, not marquise, Dudevant, but she was the author of La Marquise (1832), which Pushkin may have had in mind. Commenting on her “liberated” spirit, Turgenev said of her: “What a brave man she was, and what a good woman.”
8. does not desire the death of a sinner: The words are familiar to Russians from several Orthodox prayers, particularly the prayer before confession.
A Story from Roman Life (1833–35)
1. Titus Petronius: Authorship of the Roman satirical novel The Satyricon is generally attributed to Gaius Petronius Arbiter (27–66), whose name may originally have been Titus Petronius Niger, as given in a fifteenth-century manuscript of the novel. The story of his death is recounted in book 16 of the Annals of Tacitus.
2. Caesar…Cumae…Eumenides: The Caesar in this case is Nero, under whom Petronius served as consul and arbiter elegantiarum (“judge of elegance”). Cumae was a town on the coast of the Campania north of Naples founded by Greek settlers in the eighth century BC, known especially for being the home of the Cumaean sibyl. In Greek mythology Eumenides was the name for the Furies (Erinyes) once they were placated; it means “kindly ones.”
3. Gray they’ve grown…and lie forgot!: Pushkin’s loose translation of ode 44 (the numbering varies depending on the edition), by the Greek lyric poet Anacreon (ca. 582–ca. 485 BC).
4. Proud steeds…in their eyes: Pushkin’s version of Anacreon’s ode 55 (again the numbering varies).
5. Which of the gods…a certain death: Pushkin’s loose version of ode 7 from book 2 of the Odes of the Roman poet Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus, 65–8 BC). Horace was a great admirer of Anacreon. The term quiritis, referring to Roman citizens in their peacetime functions, was used by Caesar as a reproach to his soldiers; incidentally, it does not appear in Horace’s ode.
6. Sweet…country: Line 13 from book 3, ode 2, by Horace.
A NOTE ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS
Together, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky have translated works by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Gogol, Bulgakov, Leskov, and Pasternak. They were twice awarded the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize (for Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina), and their translation of Dostoevsky’s Demons was one of three nominees for the same prize. They are married and live in France.
A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) was a poet, playwright, and novelist who achieved literary prominence before he was twenty. His radical politics led to government censorship and periods of banishment from the capital, but he eventually married a popular society beauty and became a regular part of court life. Notoriously touchy about his honor, he died at age thirty-seven in a duel with his wife’s alleged lover.
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