30.05.2023

"The lives of the English poets and a criticism on their works" by Samuel Johnson was published, translated by Dr. Reingold (RSUH) and Dr. Gurevich (RANEPA)

On May 11, 2023, the presentation of the first complete translation of the main work of Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) took place in the bookshop “At the Centaur”.

Dr. Reingold, Professor of RSUH, and Dr. Gurevich, a lecturer at RANEPA, presented their three-volume edition. The event was hosted by Vice-Rector Pavel Shkarenkov, Director of the Institute of Philology and History.

Dr. Reingold emphasized the outstanding importance of the writer and his legacy for the European culture of the 18th-21st centuries. She compared Johnson with the largest planet in the solar system, saying that just as Jupiter is invisible and at the same time affects all of its neighbors, so Johnson, a seemingly inconspicuous figure (at least, to the Russian reader) had exerted enormous influence, according to the worldwide-held opinion.

Dr. Gurevich, translator of poetry, spoke in detail about the difficulties of translating poetic polyphony in "The Lives ...", where Johnson quotes and analyzes poetry in English, Latin, Italian and French.