Now, when I'm translating the review (and I want to do a well-qualited literary translation, so I need in some days for the finishing), I have notice in your text one conclusion/generalization, which is right more or less, but, rather, for pre-Revolution period (before 1917).
You said:
"However, the actual stories being read were pirated and mostly fraudulent pastiche (and I must here admire a burning curiosity to read these!). There was no Strand magazine equivalent and no Paget or Steele to imprint a specific physical image. Nor was there the celluloid monopoly of Basil Rathbone to add pressure to any presentation of Holmes."
yes, it's true. There was a lot of the "pirated pastiche" in pre-revolutioned Russia. But depending on the decades of XX century the situation was absolutly different.
...As for the late Soviet decades (from 1970s to 1980s), I wrote the text 'Whether Soviet People read Conan Doyle books' - about that situation. Here is the link (perhaps, you'll have an interest for it)
"...So, every 25th family had, at least, one Sherlock Holmes book. As in Soviet school classes there were about 30-40 pupils that meant every pupil could to ask own class-mate to lease the Holmes book (very wide-spread practice). Besides, every town’s District Public Library had at least one-two copies of Holmes book. Indeed, those books were usually distributed to readers, but you can to wait until the book comes in back. It was quite realistic. And, finally, I have to notice that Conan Doyle was most popular detective writer in USSR.
Of course, after the TV-premier of the series, the common sum copies of Sherlock Holmes books have increased three times, at least...
(...)
So, I have to emphasize that Soviet readers on the whole were familiar with Holmes stories, at least they have read one or two stories, but the judges of detective genre, finally, always were able to read two of third of whole Conan Doyle stories, I think. For example, my parents’ library hadn’t these books, but I, finally, have found ‘The Stories of Sherlock Holmes’ in grandma’s library. Don’t content myself with only ‘The Sign of Four’ and a few stories; I came in the District Public Library. I remember how I took notes on ‘Reigate Puzzle’ in my exercise book be in the reading room.
(...)
...Backing to the Livanov & Solomin series, I think that filmmakers were guided by an idea of faithful recreation of the stories (at least, a spirit of the Holmes stories), but NOT because of they wanted to fulfill “the enlightening mission” in the USSR. On the contrary, they wanted that devoted admirers of Conan Doyle’s stories, who knew ones by heart, could to accept these series as “own”, faithful ones."
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Whether Soviet People read Conan Doyle books
Date: 2008-09-03 09:25 pm (UTC)You said:
"However, the actual stories being read were pirated and mostly fraudulent pastiche (and I must here admire a burning curiosity to read these!). There was no Strand magazine equivalent and no Paget or Steele to imprint a specific physical image. Nor was there the celluloid monopoly of Basil Rathbone to add pressure to any presentation of Holmes."
yes, it's true. There was a lot of the "pirated pastiche" in pre-revolutioned Russia. But depending on the decades of XX century the situation was absolutly different.
...As for the late Soviet decades (from 1970s to 1980s), I wrote the text 'Whether Soviet People read Conan Doyle books' - about that situation. Here is the link (perhaps, you'll have an interest for it)
http://alek-morse.livejournal.com/7045.html
Here is little fragment:
"...So, every 25th family had, at least, one Sherlock Holmes book. As in Soviet school classes there were about 30-40 pupils that meant every pupil could to ask own class-mate to lease the Holmes book (very wide-spread practice). Besides, every town’s District Public Library had at least one-two copies of Holmes book. Indeed, those books were usually distributed to readers, but you can to wait until the book comes in back. It was quite realistic. And, finally, I have to notice that Conan Doyle was most popular detective writer in USSR.
Of course, after the TV-premier of the series, the common sum copies of Sherlock Holmes books have increased three times, at least...
(...)
So, I have to emphasize that Soviet readers on the whole were familiar with Holmes stories, at least they have read one or two stories, but the judges of detective genre, finally, always were able to read two of third of whole Conan Doyle stories, I think. For example, my parents’ library hadn’t these books, but I, finally, have found ‘The Stories of Sherlock Holmes’ in grandma’s library. Don’t content myself with only ‘The Sign of Four’ and a few stories; I came in the District Public Library. I remember how I took notes on ‘Reigate Puzzle’ in my exercise book be in the reading room.
(...)
...Backing to the Livanov & Solomin series, I think that filmmakers were guided by an idea of faithful recreation of the stories (at least, a spirit of the Holmes stories), but NOT because of they wanted to fulfill “the enlightening mission” in the USSR. On the contrary, they wanted that devoted admirers of Conan Doyle’s stories, who knew ones by heart, could to accept these series as “own”, faithful ones."