In the High Peaks
















Wednesday, April 3, 2019

The Radetsky March Readalong--Part One

I'm very glad I learned of the Spring (April) Readalong of The Radetsky March by Joseph Roth (1894-1939), hosted by Lizzy of Lizzy's Literary Life and Caroline of Beauty is a Sleeping Cat. Both Caroline and Lizzy host the annual November "German Literary Month," which focuses on literature written in the German language (including works by writers living in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and German-language writers living in other countries. (For example, Franz Kafka was a Czech writer, but he wrote his masterpieces in German.)
 Last year Lizzy and Caroline hosted a spring readalong, and they're repeating it this spring 2019. Thank you, Caroline and Lizzy!

So what exactly prompted me to set aside time to read Joseph Roth's critically acclaimed masterpiece?
I believe I mentioned in a post in February that I had read a Joseph Roth novel  years ago for German Literary Month, but I had absolutely no idea that he wrote a sweeping novel about the final years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (The Habsburg Empire), right up to World War I.
After the defeat of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in WWI, the Habsburg Empire dissolved and the lands were carved up into small nations according to the provisions of the Versailles Treaty.

In any case, I have read so many novels, and so many historical novels about the UK's involvement in WWI, the U.S. involvement, the French involvement, the German, and the Russian, and the fact that I have never read anything in fiction (or non-fiction) about the Austro-Hungarian Empire's participation was a primary motivator for me.
Thus, the fact that The Radetsky March, published in 1932, was declared a masterpiece by so many writers and critics, coupled with my eagerness to know something more about "the other empire," are what motivated me to tackle this novel. And it is indeed a fascinating novel.

So which translation did I choose?
I am pleased to say that I'm very happy with the Michael Hofmann translation. To get the Hofmann translation in the edition I wanted, I had to order from the Book Depository, which is no hardship at all financially, but is a constraint if you have time pressure. Thankfully I had plenty of time, so a 2-week wait was no problem. (The Book Depository states that they deliver to New York State in 5-8 business days once a book is shipped, but this is not true, never true. It always takes a minimum of 10 business days.)
The other translator for many U.S. editions is the esteemed Joachim Neugroschel (1938-2011). Born in 1938 to Jewish parents in Vienna, the entire family escaped to Brazil in 1939. From there, they migrated to Brooklyn in 1941, where Neugroschel eventually received an excellent education at Columbia, majoring in English and Comparative Literature.  He went on to become a foremost translator of over 200 works into English from the French, Italian, Russian, German, and Yiddish. In an interview, he admitted, "I never read a book before translating it. No reason to. I do not translate the words literally. Only a bad translator would translate literally."
I did not choose his translation,  not on account  of the quotation,  but because the Hofmann translation is that  of a German-language specialist. It would be interesting to read the Neugroschel translation. He seems to have been a polyglot, which is always fascinating.

What particularly struck me in Part One of The Radetsky March:
I was particularly struck by the repeated image of the very young Carl Von Trotta, during his summer vacations, standing upon a chair to view the portrait of his famous grandfather, who was the "Hero of the Battle at Solferino." This grandfather had been the son of a Slovenian peasant, yet he saved the Emperor's life in battle at Solferino. Although the rescue had been a spur-of-the-moment, knee-jerk reaction to save the Emperor's life, this act went on  through the generations and hovered like an anvil over his descendants' lives, something to be forever lived up to.

I think of the very young Carl Von Trotta, the grandson of the Hero of Solferino, whose mother died very young and was not present for his upbringing, so that Carl desperately needed love and  affection and sought it during his teen-aged years from a lower-class woman, Katharina, in a pattern that would afterward be repeated.


.


16 comments:

  1. This sounds like such a fascinating book. I am sorry that I was unable to join in on this reading event. Hopefully I will read it myself sometime in the future.

    I also research translators. I find that it is very important to do so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you'll find the story and the perspective to be very worthwhile. You know, it's only in recent years that I've realized that it's important to research translators. Of course, for lots of contemporary works, there is no choice, because there's just one English translation available.
      But for classics and older works, I'll continue to do a bit of research before selecting a translation.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the translator info, Judith. Most interesting and perhaps that’s why I’m finding the Neugroschel, while readable, isn’t impressing me as much as the Hofmann edition. Can’t quite put my finger on why that is at the moment. Maybe Hofmann’s poetic ear is injecting more tone than Neugroschel’s academic prowess.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lizzy,
      I've been having quite a year trying to learn more about how to select a translation and also about the art of translation. It is an uphill learning adventure, I will say.

      Delete
  3. I had not heard of this book or author, and it does sound like an interesting story and setting in place and time.

    I bought a copy of The Woman in White today. I was at the local bookstore so picked a copy that I thought I could read comfortably and it was inexpensive too. I don't know that I will read it this year, but I may be tempted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tracy,
      I'm excited to hear you have The Woman in White at home now. Based on your reading interests, and what attracts you most in mysteries, I think you will like it very much. Cliff-hangers abound! It's great you were able to find an inexpensive copy. Just wondering--who published it? I read the Barnes and Noble Classic, and it was very, very reasonable. A solid, tight binding, too, which is so important in a book of 600+ pages.

      Delete
    2. I got the Modern Library edition, trade paperback edition, $12 and the print size is OK. There was also a similar Penguin edition at $11. I probably will start reading it soonish, I read a few pages last night.

      Delete
    3. Tracy,
      I think it takes about 20 pages to get going in The Woman in White, but there are a few details and people that become important again much later. It is a roller-coaster.

      Delete
  4. Yes, Carl Joseph is so intimidated and fascinated by that painting. It says a lot about him and the family.
    Thank you fir joining us. Your comment was found, btw. It went into the spam folder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Caroline,
      I'm so glad you found the comment.
      I'm enjoying this readalong, Caroline. It's a great deal of work hosting these things, and I appreciate it very much.

      Delete
  5. I know virtually nothing about the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and this book sounds like a perfect way to rectify that. Also sounds like a good book for a readalong—having other readers to share observations with can really enhance the understanding of a book like this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jane,
      I'm reading Part Two now, and yes, I would wholeheartedly agree that it has been a worthwhile book from that perspective. Very worthwhile in that respect. Though Joseph Roth is an incredible writer of scenes, of character, of restrained emotions almost but not quite bursting at the seams.

      Delete
  6. Hi Judith, thanks for your information about the translators- I'm reading the Neugroschel translation as I already had it and actually I find the translation smooth and readable and some of the formality of the language sits for me well with the pre First World War period. I also liked your comment on Lizzy's blog about the incredible tension in several scenes-this has been such a part of my reading experience and I think shows Roth's gift as a storyteller as well as evoking in some cases the repressive ethos of the time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you on each point. Roth is an incredibly gifted, sensitive writer of fiction. How much he had to hold back, and then sparingly reveal.

      Delete
  7. Hi Judith,
    I'm getting to your post belatedly. I loved the way you drew attention to the image of the young Carl Joseph standing on a chair to view the portrait of his famous grandfather. I noticed that as I was reading but didn't really think through the implications of it. Now that you point it out, I can see that it's a perfect image to show the effect of the grandfather's act on his grandson's life and how he's always trying to live up to it. Looking forward to your thoughts on Part 2!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Andrew,
      Yes, the way that image kept recurring in Carl Joseph's mind was so telling.
      I'm a bit relaying my thoughts on Part 2, but will get to it tomorrow am. Thanks for visiting!

      Delete