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Does anyone else marvel at Mikhail Gorbachev's writing appearing the in the New York Times? That, if nothing else, is a sign of how far we've come from the cold

Does anyone else marvel at Mikhail Gorbachev's writing appearing the in the New York Times? That, if nothing else, is a sign of how far we've come from the cold war days.

jackfoxy 17y ago
No, I don't marvel at all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Duranty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Duranty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Matthews http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Matthews I think any major English language periodical would publish his editorial, which generates more high-brow interest in the English speaking world than in his own country. He has absolutely no influence in Russia today, or for quite some time. I once had a Ukrainian immigrant barber, who maintained Gorbachev's Russian was very pedestrian, but he had a great English interpretor who could translate on the spot into prosaic English. He (the barber) was very opinionated, and I have never seen anyone make this claim in print.
- coffeemug 17y ago
  Gorbachev has a tremendous command of Russian, but he used it in a way somewhat opposite to that of Hemingway. When he was first elected, people were glued to the TVs to listen to a man who could speak quickly, with an energetic voice, discuss the issues, and do it all without reading from a piece of paper (a huge novelty back then). But he could talk for hours without actually saying anything. The English articles are far more matter of fact - they get to the point much faster than Gorbachev ever did in Russian.
- steamboiler 17y ago
  Why would a great interpreter translate something pedestrian to something prosaic? (factual; dull; unimaginative http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosaic http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosaic)
  - dfranke 17y ago
    I think "prosodic" is the word he meant.
- varjag 17y ago
  His command of Russian was not unlike GWB's English, with certain pearls from live party sessions widely enjoyed by the population.
shawndrost 17y ago
Less surprised than when I saw him in a Pizza Hut ad in the 90s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9lvzzH0STw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9lvzzH0STw

Does anyone else marvel at Mikhail Gorbachev's writing appearing the in the New York Times? That, if nothing else, is a sign of how far we've come from the cold war days.

jackfoxy 17y ago

No, I don't marvel at all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Duranty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Duranty http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Matthews http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Matthews I think any major English language periodical would publish his editorial, which generates more high-brow interest in the English speaking world than in his own country. He has absolutely no influence in Russia today, or for quite some time. I once had a Ukrainian immigrant barber, who maintained Gorbachev's Russian was very pedestrian, but he had a great English interpretor who could translate on the spot into prosaic English. He (the barber) was very opinionated, and I have never seen anyone make this claim in print.

coffeemug 17y ago
Gorbachev has a tremendous command of Russian, but he used it in a way somewhat opposite to that of Hemingway. When he was first elected, people were glued to the TVs to listen to a man who could speak quickly, with an energetic voice, discuss the issues, and do it all without reading from a piece of paper (a huge novelty back then). But he could talk for hours without actually saying anything. The English articles are far more matter of fact - they get to the point much faster than Gorbachev ever did in Russian.
steamboiler 17y ago
Why would a great interpreter translate something pedestrian to something prosaic? (factual; dull; unimaginative http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosaic http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosaic)
- dfranke 17y ago
  I think "prosodic" is the word he meant.
varjag 17y ago
His command of Russian was not unlike GWB's English, with certain pearls from live party sessions widely enjoyed by the population.

shawndrost 17y ago

Less surprised than when I saw him in a Pizza Hut ad in the 90s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9lvzzH0STw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9lvzzH0STw