We are continuing from last week’s post on reading famous Russian book beginnings. This time, let’s look at books likely to be known by Russian literature aficionados.

Eugene Onegin (Евге́ний Оне́гин)

Eugene Onegin is a famous rhymed novel by Alexander Pushkin (Алекса́ндр Пу́шкин). Several English translations have been done. While Pushkin tends to trail Tolstoy and Dostoevsky in popularity in the English-speaking world, in Russia itself he is seen as an unsurpassed pinnacle of Russian literature that is still largely relevant today.

Below is the first stanza of Chapter I, past the preface.

(link to audio)

“Са́мых че́стных пра́вил” is a noun phrase consisting of a noun (пра́вила – rules) in the genitive case and an adjective referring to that noun (самые честные – the most honest). This construction is used to describe the uncle (дядя) as an honest man. A similar construction is used in “челове́к сло́ва” (man of his word). Занемо́г is a somewhat obsolete way of saying “fell ill” — the prefix за- here indicated the start of an action. A related word не́мощный means feeble. Вы́думать is a colloquial words for “invent, come up with.”

Нау́ка is normally science; here this words means “a lesson for others.” Note the use of ни as opposed to не in “ни ша́гу прочь” — ни means “not even.” Кова́рство is “cunning,” “deception;” the adjective is коварный.

Ironically, полуживо́й means the same as полумёртвый (half dead). Про себя́ is “quietly,” “in one’s head.” Another collocation with this phrase is читать про себя — to read to oneself (as opposed to вслух – aloud).

Crime and Punishment (Преступле́ние и наказа́ние)

Crime and Punishment tends to be one of the most widely-read works of Russian literature abroad. This novel by Feodor Dostoevsky (Фёдор Достое́вский) follows a young man who commits a murder on principle. An English translation is available on Project Gutenberg.

(link to audio)

The first sentence gives the time setting of the novel — в нача́ле ию́ля (in early July), под ве́чер (in late afternoon). Камо́рка is a tiny room. Нанима́ть от жильцо́в is an antiquated way of saying “to rent.” The contemporary expression is снима́ть.

Хозя́йка (masculine хозя́ин) is both owner and landlady (landlord, respectively). Избе́гнул is an older variant of избежа́л, the perfective verb for avoid. Прислу́га is a mass noun referring to the servants.

До́лжен (feminine должна́) is an adjective meaning both “owe” and “have to.” До́лжен in the sense of owe is followed by the accusative case for the debt and the dative case for the creditor. Example: я должна́ ему́ пять рубле́й (I owe him five rubles). До́лжен in the sense of have to is followed by the infinitive: мы должны́ гото́вить (we have to cook). Finally, круго́м is “all around.” As you gathered, the renter is trying to avoid running into the landlady because he owes her.

Again, let me know if the audio works OK. Shall we continue this?