6 ms·

This is the first time I hear about Maria Stepanova, albeit I dont read as much of modern non-fictional/sci-fi literature in Russian

by uzakov 5y ago

anticodon 5y ago
Before opening the link I made a guess: "99.9% probability that she's in opposition to Russian government and that is the real reason for calling her "best Russian poet". Opened the article, wasn't disappointed. My guess was 100% correct. I also laughed at mention of "independent TV channel Dozhd". Independent, really? It's funded by British government to disseminate anti-Russian propaganda and create a dissent among population of Russia. I've never heard about Maria, but now I'm pretty sure that's her only literary achievement is critics of Russia present and past. It's the only thing that interests the West now and sells well on the West.
- cafard 5y ago
  A fairly substantial portion of the big names in Russian literature--going back to Pushkin, no?--have found themselves crossways with the government of their days. Judging poetry in translation I leave to the bolder, and I do not know Russian. But what you have said gives me no reason to suppose that she is not a good poet.
  - euthuxnetux 5y ago
    There are lots of great artists but popularity is somewhat controlled by a handful of gatekeepers. I'd tend to agree with anticodon's point that people that are elevated tend to be in line with the agenda of those gatekeepers.
  - lovelyviking 5y ago
    When I saw this link here I've made special effort to find her words condemning occupation of Ukraine including Crimea and didn't find it anywhere. So perhaps she is not too much of "crossways with the government". If I've missed it somehow, please share the link.
  - lovelyviking 5y ago
    As a russian speaker I wish to add that " the big names in Russian literature--going back to Pushkin" are highly overrated in my opinion. So I am not surprised about this one too. And usually I can spot good quality of a person by a few minutes of listening just to find out later that I was correct. It has happened many times already to be sure about it. I am using this all the time. I listen to a person for some time and if mhy intuitions says it's good then I digg more. Works like magic.
    - voldacar 5y ago
      I'm very curious about this since I do not speak Russian, yet I have read many Russian authors in translation and generally think highly of their literary culture. Are names like Pushkin, Tolstoy, Chekhov considered overrated in Russia?
      - dri_ft 5y ago
        “Non-Russian readers do not realize two things: that not all Russians love Dostoevsky as much as Americans do, and that most of those Russians who do, venerate him as a mystic and not as an artist. He was a prophet, a claptrap journalist and a slapdash comedian. I admit that some of his scenes, some of his tremendous farcical rows are extraordinarily amusing. But his sensitive murderers and soulful prostitutes are not to be endured for one moment—by this reader anyway.” –Vladimir Nabokov. But of course he's being his usual contrarian self here; make of it what you will.
      - dmitriid 5y ago
        They are required reading at school. So many people are turned away from them just because all soul is sucked from them by school curriculum demanding you dissect their works and write non-sensical, highly formulaic essays like "Author's position and means of expressing of said position in the novel 'Crime and Punishment'" [1] [1] Examples of essay topics: http://velikayakultura.ru/temy-shkolnyh-sochineniy/temyi-f-m-dostoevskiy http://velikayakultura.ru/temy-shkolnyh-sochineniy/temyi-f-m...
      - FpUser 5y ago
        This is of course my personal taste and I could care less what is the official POV on the subject. I do not like Tolstoy at all. Pushkin - I think he is a genius. Calling him overrated I think is not very sincere.
  - anticodon 5y ago
    Pasternak was given Nobel prize for "Doctor Zhivago". When reading the book I was disappointed a bit: why give such a high prize for such a boring book. Only about 15-20 years later I understood that Nobel Prize is mostly about politics, not literature. I don't know if Maria is a good poet. I'm not a big fan of poetry. Opened a couple of her old poems (on stihi.ru) and wasn't impressed. But since almost half of the article is devoted to how it is important to be in opposition to the current Russian government and how it's a good thing to vilify Russian past (especially Soviet past), I tend to assume that she's an ordinary poet (maybe not bad but definitely not exceptional like the article claims) that is just being used as an ideological weapon against Russia.
    - TheButlerian 5y ago
      You are a russian bootlicker, I hope you put some gravy on that thing at least...fuckign clown.
    - bryanrasmussen 5y ago
      >Pasternak was given Nobel prize for "Doctor Zhivago" When Boris Pasternak, under fire from Soviet authorities, turned down a Nobel Prize. - https://lithub.com/when-boris-pasternak-under-fire-from-soviet-authorities-turned-down-a-nobel-prize/ https://lithub.com/when-boris-pasternak-under-fire-from-sovi...
    - wolverine876 5y ago
      > Pasternak was given Nobel prize for "Doctor Zhivago". When reading the book I was disappointed a bit: why give such a high prize for such a boring book. Maybe other people liked it, even if you didn't?
      - anticodon 5y ago
        > Maybe other people liked it, even if you didn't? Never saw anyone who liked it. Everybody I asked about Doctor Zhivago, said it is graphomania (I don't know if it is customary to call bad books by this name in English, but we usually use this word).
  - anticodon 5y ago
    It's hard to make money if you're a poet. I guess it's hard to make money now if you are any kind of writer. People don't read anymore. And I guess poets never made enough money. But if you're a Russian poet/writer and you write about how you hate current and past Russian government, how it "oppresses" everyone around, you have a non-zero chance to receive awards and grants from western funds. Your works would be also promoted worldwide for free. I guess it is the main source of motivation for such authors.

This is the first time I hear about Maria Stepanova, albeit I dont read as much of modern non-fictional/sci-fi literature in Russian

by uzakov 5y ago

This is the first time I hear about Maria Stepanova, albeit I dont read as much of modern non-fictional/sci-fi literature in Russian

anticodon 5y ago

Before opening the link I made a guess: "99.9% probability that she's in opposition to Russian government and that is the real reason for calling her "best Russian poet". Opened the article, wasn't disappointed. My guess was 100% correct. I also laughed at mention of "independent TV channel Dozhd". Independent, really? It's funded by British government to disseminate anti-Russian propaganda and create a dissent among population of Russia. I've never heard about Maria, but now I'm pretty sure that's her only literary achievement is critics of Russia present and past. It's the only thing that interests the West now and sells well on the West.

cafard 5y ago
A fairly substantial portion of the big names in Russian literature--going back to Pushkin, no?--have found themselves crossways with the government of their days. Judging poetry in translation I leave to the bolder, and I do not know Russian. But what you have said gives me no reason to suppose that she is not a good poet.
- euthuxnetux 5y ago
  There are lots of great artists but popularity is somewhat controlled by a handful of gatekeepers. I'd tend to agree with anticodon's point that people that are elevated tend to be in line with the agenda of those gatekeepers.
- lovelyviking 5y ago
  When I saw this link here I've made special effort to find her words condemning occupation of Ukraine including Crimea and didn't find it anywhere. So perhaps she is not too much of "crossways with the government". If I've missed it somehow, please share the link.
- lovelyviking 5y ago
  As a russian speaker I wish to add that " the big names in Russian literature--going back to Pushkin" are highly overrated in my opinion. So I am not surprised about this one too. And usually I can spot good quality of a person by a few minutes of listening just to find out later that I was correct. It has happened many times already to be sure about it. I am using this all the time. I listen to a person for some time and if mhy intuitions says it's good then I digg more. Works like magic.
  - voldacar 5y ago
    I'm very curious about this since I do not speak Russian, yet I have read many Russian authors in translation and generally think highly of their literary culture. Are names like Pushkin, Tolstoy, Chekhov considered overrated in Russia?
    - dri_ft 5y ago
      “Non-Russian readers do not realize two things: that not all Russians love Dostoevsky as much as Americans do, and that most of those Russians who do, venerate him as a mystic and not as an artist. He was a prophet, a claptrap journalist and a slapdash comedian. I admit that some of his scenes, some of his tremendous farcical rows are extraordinarily amusing. But his sensitive murderers and soulful prostitutes are not to be endured for one moment—by this reader anyway.” –Vladimir Nabokov. But of course he's being his usual contrarian self here; make of it what you will.
    - dmitriid 5y ago
      They are required reading at school. So many people are turned away from them just because all soul is sucked from them by school curriculum demanding you dissect their works and write non-sensical, highly formulaic essays like "Author's position and means of expressing of said position in the novel 'Crime and Punishment'" [1] [1] Examples of essay topics: http://velikayakultura.ru/temy-shkolnyh-sochineniy/temyi-f-m-dostoevskiy http://velikayakultura.ru/temy-shkolnyh-sochineniy/temyi-f-m...
    - FpUser 5y ago
      This is of course my personal taste and I could care less what is the official POV on the subject. I do not like Tolstoy at all. Pushkin - I think he is a genius. Calling him overrated I think is not very sincere.
- anticodon 5y ago
  Pasternak was given Nobel prize for "Doctor Zhivago". When reading the book I was disappointed a bit: why give such a high prize for such a boring book. Only about 15-20 years later I understood that Nobel Prize is mostly about politics, not literature. I don't know if Maria is a good poet. I'm not a big fan of poetry. Opened a couple of her old poems (on stihi.ru) and wasn't impressed. But since almost half of the article is devoted to how it is important to be in opposition to the current Russian government and how it's a good thing to vilify Russian past (especially Soviet past), I tend to assume that she's an ordinary poet (maybe not bad but definitely not exceptional like the article claims) that is just being used as an ideological weapon against Russia.
  - TheButlerian 5y ago
    You are a russian bootlicker, I hope you put some gravy on that thing at least...fuckign clown.
  - bryanrasmussen 5y ago
    >Pasternak was given Nobel prize for "Doctor Zhivago" When Boris Pasternak, under fire from Soviet authorities, turned down a Nobel Prize. - https://lithub.com/when-boris-pasternak-under-fire-from-soviet-authorities-turned-down-a-nobel-prize/ https://lithub.com/when-boris-pasternak-under-fire-from-sovi...
  - wolverine876 5y ago
    > Pasternak was given Nobel prize for "Doctor Zhivago". When reading the book I was disappointed a bit: why give such a high prize for such a boring book. Maybe other people liked it, even if you didn't?
    - anticodon 5y ago
      > Maybe other people liked it, even if you didn't? Never saw anyone who liked it. Everybody I asked about Doctor Zhivago, said it is graphomania (I don't know if it is customary to call bad books by this name in English, but we usually use this word).
- anticodon 5y ago
  It's hard to make money if you're a poet. I guess it's hard to make money now if you are any kind of writer. People don't read anymore. And I guess poets never made enough money. But if you're a Russian poet/writer and you write about how you hate current and past Russian government, how it "oppresses" everyone around, you have a non-zero chance to receive awards and grants from western funds. Your works would be also promoted worldwide for free. I guess it is the main source of motivation for such authors.