Vilnius. Wilno. Vilna. Three Short Stories

by Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, Romas Kinka (translator)

Kristinos Sabaliauskaitės apsakymų rinkinį Vilnius. Wilno. Vilna. Three Short Stories sudaro lietuviškai išleistame rinkinyje Danielius Dalba & kitos istorijos skelbti apsakymai „Juodieji Franko perlai“, „Vilnerio sugrįžimas“ ir „Vilniaus vėtrungės“. Šie kūriniai atspindi tris Vilniaus miesto gyvavimo klodus – lenkiškąjį, žydiškąjį ir sovietinį-nomenklatūrinį. Šių apsakymų veikėjai – tarpukario metu bręstanti lenkų gimnazistė, grįžtantis į vaikystės miestą senas žydas milijardierius, kagėbistas, daugiau nei pusę šimtmečio besigalynėjantis su Vilniumi. Kiekvienas rinkinio apsakymas atveria vis kitokią Vilniaus panoramą, ironiškai apmąstoma mūsų istorinė patirtis. Knyga iliustruota kruopščiai parinktomis autentiškomis, istorinėmis miesto gyvenimo iliustracijomis.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Dailės istorikė dr. Kristina Sabaliauskaitė gimė Vilniuje, nuo 2002 dirba Londone didžiausio Lietuvos dienraščio užsienio korespondente.

2008 m. debiutavo istoriniu romanu "Silva rerum" (leidykla "Baltos lankos"), tapusiu dešimties leidimų sulaukusiu bestseleriu ir pripažintu "literatūros įvykiu" Lietuvoje. Įvertintas kritikų ir kultūros istorikų, romanas skaitytojus pavergė autentišku, daugiasluoksniu, magišku ir įtraukiančiu pasakojimu apie XVII a. (1659-1667) atmosferą.

2009 m. "Silva rerum" tapo lietuviška Metų knyga
2010 m. kritikų oficialiai įvardinta viena iš dešimties įsimintiniausių dešimtmečio knygų

2008 m. Jurgos Ivanauskaitės premija
2009 m. Lietuvių literatūros instituto Kūrybiškiausių knygų dvyliktuke

2011 m. "Baltos lankos" išleido "Silva rerum II", nekantriai lauktą, septynių laidų sulaukusį tęsinį apie 1707-1710 Didijį Marą, tapusį perkamiausia knyga Nr. 1.

2011 m. Kristina Sabaliauskaitė Vilniaus miesto apdovanota "Šv. Kristoforu" "Už Vilniaus atspindžius literatūroje"

2011 m. "Silva rerum II" tapo lietuviška Metų knyga

Reviews

[Gabija · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ko gero, pats blogiausias vertimas - į bet kokią kalbą - kokį esu turėjusi nelaimės skaityti. Na, net jeigu ne PATS - vis tiek vienas blogiausiųjų. Skaitydama klupinėjančius, kosčiojančius, o retais atvejais - netgi gramatiškai netaisyklingus (!) sakinius, taip ir nesugebėjau tikroviškai įsivaizduoti, ką iš jų suprastų, ką pamanytų lietuvių kalbos nemokantis ir autorės stiliaus nepažįstantis skaitytojas. Iš smalsumo norėtųsi pakišti kam nors iš anglakalbių draugų paskaityti, bet kartu ir nesinori gadinti lietuvių literatūros (ar, tiksliau, lietuvių vertėjų) įvaizdžio. Tiesa, Sabaliauskaitės stilių net po angliškų sakinių sluoksniu "girdėjau" puikiai, bet... gero vertimo rodiklis ir yra tas, kad orginalo kalba "neprasišviečia" pro jį taip lengvai, tikrieji žodžiai, kuriais tai buvo parašyta, nešoka į akis, nes vertimo kalba skamba organiškai - kaip tinkamiausias būdas perteikti autoriaus minčiai.

Nors vertimas ir gerokai kliudė įsijausti, vis dėlto istorijos man patiko. Nemalonios istorijos, man, kaip lietuvei, neskanios istorijos; bet kaip gyvybingai ir įtaigiai jų tiesa akis bado! Ir, kaip visada, kūrinys verčia spėlioti: kas istoriška? Kas išgalvota? Kas autorės išgyventa ir į šią knygą perkelta, o kas iš kitų girdėta ar perskaityta?...

[Kerry]

Unfortunately, the lack of editing for the English version of this book makes it almost impossible to read. It could be a really great gift for friends or souvenirs for visitors, but the quality is a real turn-off.

[Angelina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The translation does not transmit the writers real beauty of writing and the vocabulary she is uses in the Lithuanian language,therefore it is a big shame. Stories are very intriguing.

[Mante · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is poorly translated and does not capture the beauty of Kristina Sabaliauskaite's literary style. Quite a disappointment - if you know Lithuanian, reading the novels in the original is a must!

[Julija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories, bad translation.

[Jeremy Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. I have been reading and seeing and hearing Vilnius history for 4 years and these three stories brought together a ton of stuff. The linguistic difference. How overnight the city went from polish to Lithuanian to Russian speaking (with a strong mix of Yiddish) How a generation grew up under the thumb of red tape and then smelled freedom and both sides of that divide saw the world so differently. Culture shock without traveling. How the city was invaded, hosted such architecture that was intentionally destroyed or ruined or mistreated. Such interesting perspectives of times and places that I love.

[Marija Žukovska · Rating 3 out of 5]

bardzo dziwne uczucie, czytać o Wilnie po angielsku, może z powodu tłumaczenia powstaje jakaś bariera językowa, która nie przekazuje tej odpowiedniej essence of vilnius.

“Sometimes everything seems exactly the same, but in fact, it’s a completely different city.”

“You had to be careful with those barracudas from East Europe.” (lol:D)

[Gailė Ne · Rating 4 out of 5]

O aš nežinojau, kad čia apsakymai iš Danieliaus Dalbos ir perklausiau angliškai. :DDD

Vieną žvaigždutę nuėmiau, nes angliškam vertime prapuola didelė kūrinio vertės dalis. :(

[Rudi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three short stories in this book fit well together. They are all different in both the way they relate to Vilnius, and in the way they are told - but all three share an exploration of the relationship between the memory of Vilnius, and the actual city itself. I have only briefly visited the city myself, but I can imagine those who know it, will get a sense of recognition from both levels (memory and the actual city).

At times, the characters were a bit too simplistic. Especially the former Soviet agent was unconvincing. It is interesting that the author tried to show his perspective, but it did not feel believable. But I still quite enjoyed the story and the other two as well.

[Julius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sabaliauskaitė is a prominent Lithuanian author, mostly known for her highly accurate and enjoyably written historical fiction. I picked this book at the airport, because I thought if it's good - I might share the joy with my English reading friends. Alas...

The translation is really poor, with spelling or grammar mistakes - an unfortunate surprise. In the end I just could not finish the book.

Maybe another book or another translation would've worked, but not this time and not for me, so I put it back on the shelf.

[Roberta Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great surprise!!!!! Simple loved this book and could read and read again so many times. Three different short stories, wonderful pictures of a city that had suffer from II World War disaster and Soviet Times. The third story was just a blast! Extremely recommend, specially if you would like to learn something about Lithuania, this is a perfect start. Now I just want more and more...

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this collection of short stories that give perspective on Vilnius past. I will never look at the streets of Old Town the same. A true treasure, despite some rough spots in the translation.

[Alina Petruseviciute · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrible translation.

[Coffeesong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, terrible translation...

[Marenka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed first 2 stories, 3rd one not as much, but still found this book interesting and transmitting the atmosphere of Vilnius well (possibly it being my home city made it easier)! Seeing all the negative comments about the English translation - author herself thanks the translator and says that it sounds as if it was her who wrote the book in English, hence I don't think, that the translation should put off anyone from reading it. I also think that this book is a really good souvenir for anyone visiting Vilnius!

[Emile Frijns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as a souvenir when I visited Vilnius last summer and while reading, this book brought me back to this wonderful city. Many of the places that are mentioned in the book refer to locations in the old town of Vilnius, and the three different perspectives (Polish, Jewish and Lithuanian) make the three different stories shine a light on the many faces of Vilnius.
The first story tells the story of the girls from a former Polish school in the city and how the city switched from a Polish city to a Lithuanian one. The story revolves mostly around the Second World War. The story is the shortest of the three and most probably, the most boring one as it is more a description of the various girls in the school. Only towards the end, the story seems to focus on one girl in particular and then it gets interesting in terms of character development.
The second story recounts a Jewish perspective of the city. The story focuses on the return of a former Jewish inhabitant of Vilnius, who fled the city towards the end of the Second World War and went to the US to seek his fortune. Only after the Cold War does he return to Vilnius, to find many of his childhood memories replaced by Soviet-era destruction and renovation. The story has many dark undertones and paints the image of an erased and ungraciously replaced Jewish town.
The final story is the most interesting one in my opinion. It recounts the memoirs of a former Lithuanian member of the KGB, who gives us an insight in the destructive role that a KGB-member could play in society. Employed as a university professor, he is confronted with a 180-degree mentality change in his students after the collapse of the Soviet Union and is plagued by fears from the past when he winds up at a hospital where finally he is at the mercy of other people, rather than the other way round.

[Carlos Luís Ramalhão · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you're reading the translated version of a book, there is obviously a third party besides author and reader. The translator cann0t be overlooked. In this particular case, I felt as though I might be committing a crime by giving two stars to Ms. Sabaliauskaité's work. It feels like she is a good writer, but there is an ugly wall between us. I can't read Lithuanian, the short stories' mother tongue, so I must rely on the poor translation. So, if I don't know Lithuanian, how can I assess the interpreter's work? It's simple. Had it originally been written in English, this book would be a mess. There were countless times I nearly gave it up. In the end, I felt slightly embarrassed by reading the author's compliments to the translator. Dear Kristina, your precious tales have been turned into basic stuff by someone who clearly doesn't possess enough knowledge of the English language. I still feel like reading Sabaliauskaité, also because I fell in love with Vilnius. As it is unlikely that I learn Lithuanian in the short term, I am hoping her other work has been translated by more competent professionals.

[Diana Šakauskis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about 3 different perspectives of Vilnius past, which describe the Polish, Jewish and Lithuanian view of the city.

The first story is told by a polish girl and is around the time of the World War II. It is a time when city is transforming from Polish to Lithuanian. This was my least favourite story and not a good start for the book in my opinion.

Second story is by an old Jew who returns to his hometown Vilna a.k.a Vilnius after living abroad for years. It is painful for him to see the places which he once knew but now are changed into totally unrecognisable without memorising what was once there. Nothing reminds of the Jewish community that was once here.

The last story is told by a former Lithuanian KGB agent. He talks about how his job was to observe undesirable elements, who wanted to go against the wind, and liquidate the issues before they became harmful. It shows what a damaging impact a KGB agent had on a society.

Overall it gave a good picture of Vilnius past and made me more interested in the history of this city.

[Anastasiia ☆₊˚.⋆⁺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first attempt at Lithuanian literature besides magazines and newspaper articles. I got this book at Vilnius airport because the book cover caught my attention. I felt like it might be a great souvenir for someone give visited Vilnius or lived there temporarily. And though Kristina Sabaliauskaitė’s writing was engaging, the English translation, unfortunately, disappointed. There were quite a few misspells and confusing sentence structures. Despite that, I am still fascinated by the numerous small stories out there that weave the history of Vilnius. I love this city, I enjoyed looking at the black and white photographs of it on the pages of the book, and I hope to be returning to explore it even more!

[Raivis Spalvēns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grāmatu sāku lasīt pēc Viļņas apmeklējuma un piedzīvoju patīkamus brīžus, jo autore šajos trijos īsstāstos precīzi reflektē par to, par ko domāju, esot Viļņā. Ne tikai šajos stāstos, bet arī dzīvē šī pilsēta elpo, vēsture tajā ir dzīva un kā uz delnas, nekas nav apslēpts pat ja tā vairs nav.

[Sara Moesgaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4

I found the stories a bit hard to follow, and in some cases the translation was a bit off, but in general I found the book beautifully written, even if I was missing a lot of context for what was going on in the stories.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunate mistakes in the translation make it feel somewhat more difficult to read, but the common idea is clear.

Three different short stories depict different types of Vilnius; different people searching for/creating a Vilnius they dreamt of.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me miss Vilnius. Collecting these different experiences of it in this way I think valuable literary work.

[Rusnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would’ve been more because the stories are actually really interesting, but the translation.. the book has been butchered, very very hard to read

[Vadim Kantorov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typos in the English translation, random word parts, duplicate sentences, et cetera. The English translation appears printed in completely unedited form :(

[Stany · Rating 5 out of 5]

In these three stories, taken form a larger collection published in Lithuanian, Vilnius finds a book that fits it so perfectly it is a joy and a wonder to behold. The elusive aura of the city shines as you turn the pages. A master storyteller, art historian Kristina Sabaliauskaitė manages to convey the many faces and mysteries of Vilnius in this round gem of a work.

Why, oh why, have her other books not been published, yet, in English? Can we Lithuanians abroad get something together?

If you have this book and are travelling to Vilnius, may I suggest reading one story before, one during and the last one after your trip? I think walking about the cobbled streets of the old town goes hand in hand with reading this book.

[Elodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit boek bevat drie korte verhalen over Vilnius, met veel aandacht voor de historie van de stad. De vertaling is niet al te best, hier en daar staan ook wat tikfouten. Desalniettemin schetst het boek een bijzondere sfeer en zijn de karakters mysterieus, het maakte dat ik overweldigd werd door een gevoel van respect voor deze stad en haar inwoners. Fijn om te lezen!

[alex elko · Rating 1 out of 5]

• The times have changed, ... priests have become more important than saints.

• Wilno, where first impressions are often deceptive.

• Do not burn a candle during the day, says the nun. There is a time for everything.

• The fear of death is the very best aphrodisiac, better than the most erotic film, better than chocolate, better than oysters and champagne...

[Aija Lejniece · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I read it. Parts were definitely interesting but some others were overly cliché and/or not researched (e.g., what art collector who owns a Matisse would ask their secretary to check a painting’s value on the internet instead of asking their art dealer?).

The English translation is unfortunately very amateurish at times and rather poorly edited.

[Justin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vivid haunting perspectives of life in Vilnius, Lithuania.