The White Guard, by Mikhail Bulgakov

Another great work from master Bulgakov, with super translation rendered by Michael Glenny.

It is about what happened to the Turbin family in Kiev, 1918, a time of revolution, turmoil and civil war. Although in a very different style from Master and Margarita, this novel also demonstrates Bulgakov's genies. The writing is modern, dense, but the magic of Bulgakov (and Glenny) is as before.

This novel seems to be an extension of the play The Days of the Turbins*, and I can clearly see the stage elements from the events happened inside the Turbin's home. However, this does not harm the novel. In fact, after back from the uncertain, panic city, and the bloody, cruel battlefield, the stage-like home gives me a particular feeling of warmness -- like the last harbor in the world -- although not physically safe, it is the bond between family members and friendship among friends that makes it unconquerable.
[*In his introduction to The Heart of a Dog, Michael Glenny said that the novel was published first, and then Pavel Markov suggested and helped Bulgakov to turn the story into a play. 9/5/2009]

From 1926 to 1941, "the play ran for 987 performances", with total audience of at least 1 million. And among them was Stalin, who saw it no less than 15 times. I can understand what brings people to it again and again. It touches something essential about family, friends, human to human, warm and also sad. The theme is touched in such a way that your deep heart feels it, but you can't catch it, say it -- it is not revealed directly. This is also one of the great charms in Master and Margarita.

Bulgakov also did a great job in describing the panic and chaos of the city, and bloody battle scenes. I am not a particular fan of the war novel, but I am very impressed by Bulgakov's battle scenes, which is Superior than Quiet Flows the Don (vol 1) and Gone with the wind.

The book I read is a paperback published by Academy Chicago Publishers, ISBN 0897332466. Thanks for the publisher to keep Michael Glenny's translation in print. I read several paragraphs of the new translation by Marian Schwartz, published by Yale University Press, ISBN-13 978-0300151459 (ISBN-10 0300151454). Although new translations are always welcome for such a masterpiece, Schwartz's translation lacks the beauty and charm of Glenny.

The cover art is also worth mentioning. White and sketched man, dark horse, and blood ground. It looks like the weight of these elements is not rightly set up, but it indeed fits the mood of the book very well.

风声鹤唳，林语堂

故事续《京华烟云》，以木兰的侄子伯牙，恋人媚玲、友人彭先生为主线，以抗日抗争为背景。单从文学作品的角度来说，该书一般。林语堂叙述手法老套，生硬的大段大段的人物性格剖析。故事结尾媚玲爱情的转变显得突兀，不可信。伯牙自杀式地袭击日本兵更是莫名其妙。

这个作品的意义并不在于其文学价值。抗日抗争时期中国人民深受的苦难，林语堂的描写触目惊心。结尾时五十多岁的“老”妈妈托付了小女儿，因为不愿拖累儿子夜 里坠水。苦难，亿万人民的苦难，这句话又是多么的沉重啊！没有经历的人，又有多少能体会这句话里包含着的血和泪，和那些无法描述的痛苦。

日本人，“禽兽不如”一词也无法形容其行为。日本民族，对你们的千年的诅咒。刺刀上的婴儿，活埋的百人坑，被奸辱的妇女，残断的肢体，用他们的血和魂凝结成千年的诅咒，封印日本民族的世世代代。

And Quiet Flows the Don (Vol. 1), by Mikhail Sholokhov

This is the story of last Cossacks in the Don Region. It is about their daily life in the steppe, with love, hate, betrayal, passion, despair. Each one faithfully fulfills his/her life; this is true when Grigory's wife tries to kill herself in despair. With little thinking and reasoning, it is the heart that leads one, regardless to where. Maybe someone, educated one, feels pity for such an "aimless" life, but experiencing it (without resistance) is the essential meaning of life, right? However, yielding to one's instincts makes one lose himself. On the other hand, with reigned mind, reviewing the past, predicting the future, and calculating the consequence, it looks like we are making "sensible" steps, but what is missed?

This is a masterpiece, and I enjoyed it tremendously. The recurrence of the descriptions of the Don river is touching. The Cossack folk songs included in the book are gems.

Unfortunately, the translation in print is not satisfying, probably because the novel is not fashionable in this modern world. The first translation of the Quiet Don series was performed by Stephen Garry' (pen name of Harry C. Stephens), published in two volumes as And Quiet Flows the Don and The Don Flows Home to the Sea by Alfred A. Knopf in U.S. in 1930's. This translation lacks about 25 percent of the original text. Later Robert Daglish revised and completed Carry's translation. The first revision was done before 1984 (I saw a 4-volume edition translated by Daglish from Moscow Progress Publishing in 1978 on Ebay). The second revision, conducted in 1984, was more successful. In 1996, Brian Murphy from the University of Ulster revised and edited Robert Daglish's 1984 edition, producing "the first complete and uncensored edition". It was published by Carroll & Graf Pub, ISBN 0786703609 (978-0786703609), but already out of print.

The book I read is published by Fredonia Books. ISBN 1589633121. It is said to be "Reprinted from the original edition". From its printing style, I guess it is Daglish's pre-1984 translation.