Suggest a "Staff Pick" for archive.org

[Availle]

Thank you!

I didn't know we had a Polish play in the catalog, how wonderful!

[Piotrek81]

Here's the only solo in Ukrainian that we have: https://librivox.org/fables-by-glibov/
And this is one of the 2 solos in Hungarian that we have https://librivox.org/janos-vitez-by-sandor-petofi/

[Kazbek]

How about the lovely, recently completed version of Gogol's Taras Bulba, in an English translation, for both Ukrainian and Russian connections:

https://librivox.org/taras-bulba-by-nikolai-vasilievich-gogol/

May I also suggest our recently completed volume of Russian fairy tales?

https://librivox.org/russian-fairy-tales-1-by-alexander-nikolayevich-afanasyev/

Their significance is explained in the description. Of particular note are two tales (12 and 21) in a historical dialect of the Chernihiv region, combining elements of Ukranian, Belarusian, and Russian, and brilliantly reconstructed by Hanna Ponomarenko, who's a native speaker of both Ukrainian and Russian.

Michael

[Kitty]

I remember I PLed a great collection of Romanian poetry/ballads by George Cosbuc: https://librivox.org/balade-si-idile-by-george-cosbuc/
And I also PLed the first Croatian solo, a collection of fairy tales: https://librivox.org/price-iz-davnine-by-ivana-brlic-mazuranic/

I see the first Czech solo has already been mentioned by Piotrek otherwise I would have brought this up as well

And Mark recently finished a huge project in three parts, about the biographies of many of the important Russian authors (in Russian). It's their biographies, but also interspersed with many examples of poetry, drama and prose. I know how much work that was because I PLed all three parts. Kudos to that:
https://librivox.org/silhouettes-russian-writers-by-yuly-aykhenvald/
https://librivox.org/silhouettes-of-russian-writers-issue-2-by-yuly-aykhenvald
https://librivox.org/silhouettes-russian-writers-issue-3-by-yuly-aykhenvald/

we also have two Hungarian solos by our lovely Diana (no, I didn't DPL those, so I don't know what they are about)

https://librivox.org/egri-csillagok-by-geza-gardonyi/
https://librivox.org/janos-vitez-by-sandor-petofi/

Sonia

[Availle]

Thank you very much!

[Piotrek81]

We don't have many translations of Polish works in the catalogue, so maybe we could use this opportunity to highlight some of them:

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=25175 , i.e the German translation of Reymont's "Wampir" (we have the original version here

I suspect we've already used the Engish translation of Sienkiewicz's "Ogniem i mieczem" https://librivox.org/with-fire-and-sword-by-henryk-sienkiewicz/ but just in case we haven't, he it is. It has the added bonus of being set in today's Ukraine.

[Basquetteur]

Dear Availle
I concur with Tood about your very nice text about the 15th anniversary edition.

Regarding the on going topic, i suppose there will be plenty regarding texts from Eastern Europe either in the original language or translated into English. But just in case, I would dare to suggest something simple, not necessarily a classical , but that was recently released, a series of tales by Chekhov in Spanish:
https://librivox.org/historia-de-una-anguila-y-otras-historias-by-anton-chekhov/

Surely there are influences of Eastern European stories in many other languages:

It comes to my mind for example these two:

https://librivox.org/stories-by-foreign-authors-russian-by-various/

https://librivox.org/folk-lore-and-legends-russian-and-polish-by-charles-john-tibbits/

I have not searched in French. I bet there are plenty in German.

Cheers!

Basquetteur

[Availle]

Thank you for reminding me that it doesn't necessarily have to be Russian when it comes to foreign languages here!

Yes, there are plenty in German - Friedrich had a thing for Russian literature.

[chulsky]

Thank you, Ava, for reaching out!
I guess, you are looking for English translations of Eastern European authors (in addition to the books on E.E. subject).
My picks would be:
Stories of the mid-19 century rural life in Russia lovingly narrated by Tovarisch: https://librivox.org/a-sportsmans-sketches-by-ivan-turgenev/
A Polish adventurer's daring escape from Bolsheviks and other bandits, set in Siberia: https://librivox.org/beasts-men-and-gods-by-ferdinand-ossendowski/

[ToddHW]

Thank you!

I didn't know we had a Polish play in the catalog, how wonderful!

It is not Polish, but translated Spanish, yet the play "Life is But A Dream" concerns the Prince and King of Poland. It is assembled and going into final PL and should I hope make it to the catalog by the end of the month.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=79380&start=135

Of all Calderon's works, "Life is a Dream" may be regarded as the most universal in its theme. It seeks to teach a lesson that may be learned from the philosophers and religious thinkers of many ages—that the world of our senses is a mere shadow, and that the only reality is to be found in the invisible and eternal. The story which forms its basis is Oriental in origin, and in the form of the legend of "Barlaam and Josaphat" was familiar in all the literatures of the Middle Ages. Combined with this in the plot is the tale of Abou Hassan from the "Arabian Nights," the main situations in which are turned to farcical purposes in the Induction to the Shakespearean "Taming of the Shrew." But with Calderon the theme is lifted altogether out of the atmosphere of comedy, and is worked up with poetic sentiment and a touch of mysticism into a symbolic drama of profound and universal philosophical significance.
( The Translator)

Thanks, Todd

[Availle]

Great, thank you both!

No Mark, Russian/Ukranian/Romanian.... is perfectly fine too! It would be nice if we could get books both in the original AND in translation, but what I'm looking for in the staff picks is essentially stuff beyond Anna Karenina and War and Peace.

[mightyfelix]

I suggested this last time because I'm bad at geography. I think we're in the right corner of the world now.

https://librivox.org/cossack-fairy-tales-by-robert-nisbet-bain/

This is a volume of fairy tales and folk tales from the Cossack people, compiled and translated by Robert Nisbet Bain. The tales are special as most children will not have heard them a hundred times before, and as they take listeners into a different region of the realm of the fairy tale.

The Cossacks are a group of people living mostly in what is now Ukraine and Russia. The fairy and folk tales contained in this volume allow a glimpse into both the cultural traditions of the Cossack people, as well as into how this culture was perceived by others.

[Availle]

[Basquetteur]

Somewhat incidentally, regarding this post:

Thank you!

I didn't know we had a Polish play in the catalog, how wonderful!

It is not Polish, but translated Spanish, yet the play "Life is But A Dream" concerns the Prince and King of Poland. It is assembled and going into final PL and should I hope make it to the catalog by the end of the month.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=79380&start=135

Of all Calderon's works, "Life is a Dream" may be regarded as the most universal in its theme. It seeks to teach a lesson that may be learned from the philosophers and religious thinkers of many ages—that the world of our senses is a mere shadow, and that the only reality is to be found in the invisible and eternal. The story which forms its basis is Oriental in origin, and in the form of the legend of "Barlaam and Josaphat" was familiar in all the literatures of the Middle Ages. Combined with this in the plot is the tale of Abou Hassan from the "Arabian Nights," the main situations in which are turned to farcical purposes in the Induction to the Shakespearean "Taming of the Shrew." But with Calderon the theme is lifted altogether out of the atmosphere of comedy, and is worked up with poetic sentiment and a touch of mysticism into a symbolic drama of profound and universal philosophical significance.
( The Translator)

Thanks, Todd

There is a recording of La vida es sueño, or Life is But a Dream, in Librivox, in the original Spanish: https://archive.org/details/lavidaessueno_1808_librivox
It is supposed to be Calderón's best work, and certainly a classic.

But I think besides the very interesting Todd's explanations, the simple link with "Eastern Europe" is that the plot happens in Poland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Is_a_Dream

Regards,

Basquetteur

[ToddHW]

Thank you - I am going to add a link to the Spanish version when the English translation gets cataloged (hopefully this week!).

Todd