To discuss the second chapter of our book club pick, "Petersburg" by Andrei Bely. I'll finish the chapter tomorrow and give my takes then but the threads get published on tuesday so here it is.
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aweonao
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aweonao
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Rdrama bookclub. "Petersburg" Discussion Thread #2 
Chapter 2
- 7
- 17
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talk about books or smth idk
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Honestly this is a very difficult book to discuss because I don't have the strand of autism that makes you obsessed with early 20th century history, so while I can understand when he's referencing or satirizing something, I have nothing more than a passing knowledge of what or why. Add to that that the footnotes generally cover it, as well as any intertextuality, and there isn't much left to say. The actual story and characters haven't sparked much interest yet. I can feel there's humor and interesting prose in there somewhere, but I fear the translation has lost it.
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Fair point. It is indeed a difficult book and a "novel of a city" type narrative, I honestly thought it would be more character driven than making St Petersburg itself a character.
Another point that is likely true and which unfortunately affects most of Russian literature, it's a tricky language to translate and judging by some idioms used in the one I have it seems like the translator opted for a more word to word approach.
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