He is known for the verse comedyWoe from Wit. The forward provided the political and cultural background necessary to really track what was happening within the 4 acts. Part of that's the point, but still, didn't love it. The comedy is loosely constructed, but in the dialogue and in the character drawing Griboyedov is supreme and unique. google_ad_client = "pub-2707004110972434"; Back to the translator's note, of course, there is explanation of how carefully words are chosen, rhymes are retained in various forms, and so on. oe from Wit brings readers to Moscow of the early 19th century, … For epigram, repartee, terse and concise wit, Griboyedov has no rivals in Russian. Summary of Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit". A verse comedy set in Moscow high society after the Napoleonic wars, it offers sharply drawn characters and clever repartee, mixing meticulously crafted banter and biting social critique. Alexander Griboedov's Woe from Wit is one of the masterpieces of Russian drama. Tell someone else. Although I don't read any Russian, but the English verses are so beautiful and rhyming, I could imagine the play on the stage simultaneously. /* 728x90, created 7/15/08 */ LibriVox recording of Woe from Wit:: Горе от ума by Alexander Sergeyevich Griboedov:: Грибое́дов, Алекса́ндр Серге́евич. Although it is a play, it has the same type of feel as many Russian novels. Find guides to this achievement here. Woe from Wit (Russian: Горе от ума, also translated as "The Woes of Wit", "Wit Works Woe", and so forth) is Alexander Griboyedov 's comedy in verse, satirizing the society of post-Napoleonic Moscow, or, as a high official in the play styled it, "a pasquinade on Moscow." There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Woe from Wit (Russian: Горе от ума, also translated as "The Woes of Wit", "Wit Works Woe", and so forth) is Alexander Griboyedov's comedy in verse, satirizing the society of post-Napoleonic Moscow, or, as a high official in the play styled it, "a pasquinade on Moscow." Will need to re-read it later, once I reacquaint myself with more of the Russian language. We’d love your help. google_ad_height = 90; It always attempts and achieves the impossible: the squeezing of everyday conversation into a rebellious metrical form. He is stupid enough, careless, likes to drink. Then Alexander Sergeyevich was jokingly called crazy. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Be the first to ask a question about Woe from Wit. It is set in the Moscow household of Pavel Afanasyevich Famusov, an important government official, who has a seventeen-year-old daughter, Sophie; his wife -- Sophie's mother -- died when she was just a year old. full cast info at: I don’t know much about Russian history, thus, it helped me understand this satire’s context. Griboyedov's characters, while typical of the period, are stamped in the really common clay of humanity. Famusov: Konstantin Zubov. Although I don't read any Russian, but the English verses are so beautiful and rhyming, I could imagine the play on the stage simultaneously. The dialogue is in rhymed verse, in iambic lines of variable length, a meter that was introduced into Russia by the fabulists as the equivalent of La Fontaine's vers libre and that had reached a high degree of perfection in the hands of Ivan Krylov. Back. The Cossacks defended for an hour or more, but were outnumbered; then the Persians climbed on the roof, removed the tiles, and overwhelmed the embassy with stones, Griboyyedev's being th, I have just found my copy from decades ago, ed D.P. 1875 Tr: 1902 G: Com. Welcome back. On the other hand, Sophia - … google_ad_width = 728; As a lover of history, I enjoyed learning about Alexander Griboyedov. Almost every other line of the comedy has become part of the language, and proverbs from Griboyedov are as numerous as proverbs from Krylov. He determined that "It's good to travel to a distant land...-or live on one's estate, with work its own reward, not kowtowing to the powers that be." He did not like the servile worship of the Russians in front of everything foreign. Woe unto them, for with these actions they bring about the existence of po... ...ontentment unto You. THE WORK I heard in 1941, Jerusalem Our sages said this about the verse, “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! I highly recommend reading it. Just for choosing the Title, the translator quoted Nabokov's suggestion etc., it was an insightful job. On the one hand, she is the only person who is close in spirit to the main character, Chatsky. The Cossacks defended for an hour or more, but were outnumbered; then the Persians climbed on the roof, removed the tiles, and overwhelmed the embassy with stones, Griboyyedev's being the last room taken. Woe from Wit is a 1823 play by Alexander Griboyedov, his only famous work. The plot, conflict, actors If you are interested in this article, then youinterested in the summary of Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit". I read this play as a result of the many allusions made to it in Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." Many people have read this work in school, so it's time to refresh the plot of the work in memory. Things that Come from the Heart ..............................................80 26. Excessive Violence He was killed and dragged through the streets, disfigured. A bunch of wit, that's what it is. A really great translation. ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS OF RUSSIAN PLAYS, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture. I enjoyed this quick little witty read. Khlyostova: Vera Pashennaya. душа или язык?”, 33 Sweeping Multigenerational Family Dramas. Either that or a new translation is desperately needed! In Soviet era it was sold in every town from the bright yellow 900 … One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture. (Iranians don't like foreign empires--the Russian one in 1829, and the American one a century and a half later. I have just found my copy from decades ago, ed D.P. … In the comedy scene of the ball is prepared in advance. Early 19th Century Russia. He was "seized by wanderlust, and- off he goes...seeking greener pastures...And then...He deigns to reappear...". I'm afraid this one just isn't as good outside of its original language. And if you wish, then A seargent from my regiment will serve I fell asleep reading this a lot of times, and though I loved the third act for its comedy, didn't love the play. May be that's partly why it was so delightful to read it again, so many years after school. His books include Dostoevsky: an examination of the major novels (1992), and the critical study of Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground (1993). Man can be historical and antiquarian, h... ...ing to the earth, they sang aloud, “Rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them:” but “woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea, for the d... Full Text Search Details...isdom of Kabbalah (Assorted Authors) 157 A Prayer before a Prayer (excerpt from Noam Elimelech) 183 Spiritual Attainment 187 Divinity in Exile (Rav Ye... ...r the Heaviness in the Work (Rav Yehuda Ashlag) 193 Lishma Is an Awakening from Above (Rav Yehuda Ashlag) 195 Support in the Torah (Rav Yehuda Ashlag)... ...lag) 473 The Acting Mind (Rav Yehuda Ashlag) 477 Introduction to the Book, From the Mouth of a Sage (Rav Yehuda Ashlag) 479 Introduction to the Prefac... ...ing in sequences of root and branch, but only in allegories and marvelous wit. I went directly to the content, (reading the introduction or translator's note at last in the hope of not getting influenced by their opinions). He was, for instance, alone in his age to use unexpected, sonorous, punning rhymes. World Heritage Encyclopedia™ is a registered trademark of the World Public Library Association, a non-profit organization. Chatsky can't wait to see Sophie, the girl he loves. Costello (Prideaux Press), so I shall add passages soon. //-->, This article will be permanently flagged as inappropriate and made unaccessible to everyone. It fits nicely with Moliere’s wonderful play the Misanthrope, and Richard Wilbur’s verse translation. “Ей сна нет от французских книг, А мне от русских больно спится.”, “О! Translated from the Russian by Betsy Hulick.