Andrey Kistyakovsky
Encyclopedia
Andrey Andreyevich Kistyakovsky ' onMouseout='HidePop("14369")' href="/topics/Moscow">Moscow
–30 June 1987) was a Russian translator and political activist. He translated the belles-lettres
from English to Russian and began publishing in 1967.
Kistyakovsky's 1982 partial translation of The Lord of the Rings
(together with Vladimir Muravyov
) became the first official Russian translation
and remains one of the most acclaimed Russian translations of the novel
.
. In 1960s he chummed up with non-conformist artists. In 1971 he completed his graduation, majoring in the English language and literature.
From that time Kistyakovsky also engaged in politics, entering the Political Prisoners Relief Fund. He experienced searches, threats and even beating. In June 1983 he was diagnosed with cancer
and was hospitalized. Though he was refused to be treated in the Soviet Union, Kistyakovsky was buried at Dolgoprudnenskoye Cemetery.
was favoured by its author Arthur Koestler
. The translation was published in 1978 with Kistyakovsky's foreword.
In his last years Kistyakovsky succeeded in translation of The Fellowship of the Ring
(as The Keepers ("Хранители"), after the nine holders of the Rings of Power
) and of all verses there. In an interview Vladimir Muravyov testified: "Kistyakovsky was a brilliant translator, though it was hard for me to work with him... Generally he did not translate, but transpose". Kistyakovsky was praised particularly for "accurate Church Slavonicisms" and "ingenious translations of non-existent verses". The Kistyakovsky-Muravyov translation, which remained the sole Russian version until 1990, reached the second place in the poll on the best Russian translation of The Lord of the Rings, conducted by Russian fan site Tolkien.su.
Kistyakovsky's translations of William Faulkner
, Robert Duncan
, Charles Percy Snow, Flannery O'Connor
and of some other authors were published in the former Soviet Union
. He also translated Catch-22
, as well as Amos Tutuola
, Wole Soyinka
and Seamus Heaney
.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
–30 June 1987) was a Russian translator and political activist. He translated the belles-lettres
Belles-lettres
Belles-lettres or belles lettres is a term that is used to describe a category of writing. A writer of belles-lettres is a belletrist. However, the boundaries of that category vary in different usages....
from English to Russian and began publishing in 1967.
Kistyakovsky's 1982 partial translation of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
(together with Vladimir Muravyov
Vladimir Muravyov (translator)
Vladimir Sergeyevich Muravyov was a Russian translator and literary critic. He was awarded the Inolit Prize for Best Translation in 1987 ....
) became the first official Russian translation
Translations of The Lord of the Rings into Russian
Russian interest in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings awoke soon after its publication in 1955, long before the first Russian translation....
and remains one of the most acclaimed Russian translations of the novel
Translations of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien appeared 1954–55 in the original English. It has since been translated, with various degrees of success, into dozens of other languages. Tolkien, an expert in Germanic philology, scrutinized those that were under preparation during his lifetime, and...
.
Life
Kistyakovsky hailed from an old dvoryan family. He left the school in the eighth grade and worked as a gasman and metalworker before entering Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
. In 1960s he chummed up with non-conformist artists. In 1971 he completed his graduation, majoring in the English language and literature.
From that time Kistyakovsky also engaged in politics, entering the Political Prisoners Relief Fund. He experienced searches, threats and even beating. In June 1983 he was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and was hospitalized. Though he was refused to be treated in the Soviet Union, Kistyakovsky was buried at Dolgoprudnenskoye Cemetery.
Translations
Kistyakovsky's translation of the Darkness at NoonDarkness at Noon
Darkness at Noon is a novel by the Hungarian-born British novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940...
was favoured by its author Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler
Arthur Koestler CBE was a Hungarian author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria...
. The translation was published in 1978 with Kistyakovsky's foreword.
In his last years Kistyakovsky succeeded in translation of The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...
(as The Keepers ("Хранители"), after the nine holders of the Rings of Power
Rings of Power
The Rings of Power in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium are magical rings created by Sauron or by the Elves of Eregion under Sauron's tutelage...
) and of all verses there. In an interview Vladimir Muravyov testified: "Kistyakovsky was a brilliant translator, though it was hard for me to work with him... Generally he did not translate, but transpose". Kistyakovsky was praised particularly for "accurate Church Slavonicisms" and "ingenious translations of non-existent verses". The Kistyakovsky-Muravyov translation, which remained the sole Russian version until 1990, reached the second place in the poll on the best Russian translation of The Lord of the Rings, conducted by Russian fan site Tolkien.su.
Kistyakovsky's translations of William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
, Robert Duncan
Robert Duncan (poet)
Robert Duncan was an American poet and a student of H.D. and the Western esoteric tradition who spent most of his career in and around San Francisco. Though associated with any number of literary traditions and schools, Duncan is often identified with the poets of the New American Poetry and Black...
, Charles Percy Snow, Flannery O'Connor
Flannery O'Connor
Mary Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short-story writer and essayist. An important voice in American literature, O'Connor wrote two novels and 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries...
and of some other authors were published in the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He also translated Catch-22
Catch-22
Catch-22 is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953, and the novel was first published in 1961. It is set during World War II in 1943 and is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century...
, as well as Amos Tutuola
Amos Tutuola
Amos Tutuola was a Nigerian writer famous for his books based in part on Yoruba folk-tales.- Early history :Tutuola was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, in 1920, where his parents Charles and Esther were Yoruba Christian cocoa farmers. When about 7 years old, he became a servant for F.O...
, Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, where he was recognised as a man "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence", and became the first African in Africa and...
and Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer. He lives in Dublin. Heaney has received the Nobel Prize in Literature , the Golden Wreath of Poetry , T. S. Eliot Prize and two Whitbread prizes...
.