favorite science fiction/fantasy authors - what are yours?

[dumbledore11214]

> Alla wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/38950>:
> 
> <<  I read part of LOTR in Russian translation back home, could not finish and thought it was too boring lol. When I read it in the original, I realized it was just a very bad translation. >>

 --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)" <catlady at ...> wrote:
>
> Yes, books are at the mercy of their translators. But I wonder if the translation of LOTR was only allowed because of perestroika? God and archangels and kings and vassals and noble knights and respectful peasants and a dislike of any technology more complicated than one blacksmith can do with a couple of hammers and tongs and one anvil, and a deep hatred of mass production ... it seems to me that Tolkien's ideology is totally antithetical to Soviet ideology; even the parts they agreed on (peasants should respectfully obey their betters) were not things that the Soviet Union wanted to verbally praise. Tell me how wrong I am.


Alla:

I had no idea on whether you are right or wrong, so I figured I will take a look on Wiki as to when first russian translation appeared and even if they are off a few years, it may give a general idea.

Turns out in general you are absolutely correct. I mean, samizdat versions were circulating since early times, and official **abridged* version appeared in print in 1982, this was about it (and abridged I am sure meant LOTS of stuff was taken out), but this was about it.

I am pretty sure mine was complete translation though and I read it in the early 1990s, just not very good one and I have read better one, but I was already here when I did it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translations_of_The_Lord_of_the_Rings