M.Moorcock's books in Russia

[Anonymous]

Hello dear Michael and all,

I'm from Russia and a long time fan of your works. Just wanted to tell that you have a big fanbase here and some of your series were recently re-issued here. But then it was stopped. Hopefully they will resume it soon.

Meantime I'm reading your books in English :) .

By the way, did you know about Russian publications of your works (or it is purely a work of management)? And maybe you even have some of your books in Russian?

[Michael Moorcock]

Thanks, Alisa. Yes, I have a lot of my books in Russian and recently signed a contract whereby a number of other books should soon be published in Russia including, I'm pleased to say, Mother London. I'm
next hoping that the Pyat series might be published in Russia, since they are written from the point of view of a rather unreliable narrator who was born in Ukraine (Kiev) and then experienced the Civil War. I am generally very pleased with the way I'm being published in Russia.
I even have some of the early 'samizdhat' editions. Unfortunately these were used for pirated 'regular' editions more recently and were not very good translations. Do you have any opinions of the translations of the newer editions ?

[Alisa]

This are great news! I'm really looking forward to Mother London and Pyat series.

Well, about translations. I must say they vary. The newer editions of you books look great, that is. But at some of them translations are not edited to follow the same translations and transcriptions of names or titles in whole series for example. Like in The Dreamthief's Daughter I firstly discovered how the name Moonglum can be translated, I even needed some time to figure out who this character was.

But mostly translations are good and at the level of the whole Russian publishing industry. But I really wish someone would watch for correcting this differences in translations.

[Michael Moorcock]

Yes, that's a problem when you have different translators.
I love the French version of Moonglum, which I've borrowed in other stories. He's called Tristelune -- a direct translation.
I'm pleased the translations are in the main good and I suspect they will therefore get better as they go or are reprinted.

[Alisa]

Well, the Russian version of Moonglum is not very correct and good sounding I think - "Hmurnik".

I just bought three volumes of Elric last edition in Russian and they all have editor's correction so that's good. But for some reason it seems there are all Elrics officially published except Stormbringer! I remember it only from Samizdat times.

Really waiting for more your books translated and published! but I think I will have to order Colonel Pyat series in English cause it would be too long too wait for Russian :).

By the way, I really loved The Dreamthief's daughter book (though I thought it belongs more to Von Beck series then Elric... But maybe I'm just a too much fan of Von Beck.)

[Alisa]

I looked more carefully through the latest editions and seems like:

Weird of the White Wolf
The Bane of the Black Sword
Stormbringer

- are all still missing from official Russian editions.

[Jere]

I like the spanish translations.Why most of the names are in their original form unlike other versions?

[lordmarioh]

What do you people prefer: translated names or the original ones? I say this because sometimes the power of a name is another language, but only for the people who read them in the original.

[Alisa]

I prefer original names. In most of times the translation is not correct in Russian.

[Eurostar]

I don't know, really. It varies: Hawkmoon translated as Falco Lunare sounds corny (seems the name of a native American in an old spaghetti western), while Moonglum as Maldiluna is very evocative.

[Wizard]

Alisa, agree with you. "Zarozinia" sounds not pretty in russian, but it is not ground for making her "Zarinia". And Moonglum as Hmurnik.

[Alisa]

I thought I need to up this topic again. Maybe Michael would be so kind to reveal something about future Russian editions of his books.
What series were already sold to Eksmo Publishing House for publishing? What should we expect?
The Eksmo itself is not very eager to reveal the information. But it's rumoured that all new translations will be professional this time. But I still hope there won't be any name and title confusions like Hmurnik, Zarinia, etc.
A direct question for Michael - do you have any control on what translators can do and what they can not? It would be great if you could prohibit them from translating names and inventing their own!
We are still waiting for translation and publishing of The Skrayling Tree here.

[Wizard]

Really, I dislike books published by Eksmo. That translations just killing me (except Corum Saga, maybe). There is Severo-Zapad PubHouse. It made the best translations, I think.

I've heard, Eksmo going to make (or making) new translations of Elric Saga. It will be done in next year.

PS: Alisa: Maybe, want to visit my page?

[Alisa]

Wizard, cool site you have there :).


Severo-Zapad was a very good pub house but at those times books were mostly pirate here. But those who made translations were very dedicated people and in Post Soviet times, when people could translate, read and publish foreign Sci-Fi/F books it was all very new and exciting. Nowdays it's just a "work" for all those miserable translators, I'm afraid they put a book in some translation program and then just edit it, that's why we get such crape lately. Noone does a "sentence by sentence" translation anymore :(.

[Wizard]

Thanks!)))
I think there is no shame in using trabslatin programs. Certainly, if you do not use them all time. But if you don't never read books of author, whom works you translating; if you doing that without any interest and work seems to you routine - better don't do that. It would be bad book with no soul inside.