Hidden_7 on 11/1/2008 at 00:51
Yeah, a little off topic, but whatever.
So I recently read Roadside Picnic (also checked out Stalker, the film) because I was interested in the background of the game. Pretty good story overall, it's neat to see how some of the elements ended up in STALKER.
Thing is, the translation I read, which I believe is the more common english translation (I may be wrong) does the whole, whatchucallit, lateral, or creative translation, where it does more than simply translate the words, but attempts to translate the cultural elements, I guess. In any case, the version I read was set in Canada, specifically Harmont, which I have no idea where that is, or if it exists, but judging from a few other refrences I think it's supposed to be on or around the East Coast. Further, the character Kirill (no idea what his name in Russian might be, maybe that) is a Russian in the story.
So I've got a question to anyone here who read Roadside Picnic in its original language. Firstly, where was it originally set. I'm going to assume somewhere in Russia or the former USSR, but where specifically? This was an American publisher, and it's kinda clear that Canada, and specifically some small town in Canada was chosen to be kinda remote and distant from civilization proper. I think there was intentionally supposed to be a bit of culture separation there for the reader (since there are plainly wrong refrences, such as money being green, and a President). So I'm wondering if this was an attempt to preserve some cultural distance that was present in the original. Also, where is it that Red talks about shipping the artifacts, in this version it's Europe, which seems odd, by the 70's the US was enough of a power to be "civilization" that is having this stuff shipped to it. Maybe this was kept over from the orginal.
Also, where is Kirill from. He's the scientist friend of Red at the beggining. As I mentioned, he's Russian in this one, which is quite a ways from Canada, is it a similar distance in the original.
These seem like some rather trifling questions to ask, but attempts to preserve and shift cultural ideas/refrences across translations always fascinate me.
On a more general note, anyone else read the book? What did everyone think?
Malleus on 11/1/2008 at 00:58
No, it's originally set in that Canadian town. I've read the Hungarian translation, and it was translated from Russian, and it was set in Canada allright. I don't know what made you think they would change something like that in translation, I would never imagine such thing...
EDIT: Anyway I really liked the book. It had a very strange, creepy atmosphere, and that whole thing of people dealing with something they absolutely don't understand, and how that changes their lives in the long run ... I found the whole concept very interesting.
Hidden_7 on 11/1/2008 at 01:59
Huh, I kinda just assumed because, well... Canada seems an odd place to set something if you're not from here. I see very little international things that recognize Canada as an entity. Further the plainly wrong elements like refering to money as greenbacks (don't know what the Russian term is) and refrencing the President led me to believe that a Canadian setting was shoehorned in.
Add to that that I have seen that kind of translation many times before, though, admittedly, mostly with ancient Greek... sometimes to a lesser extent with the choice of accents used for dubbed movies, huh, oh well, colour me corrected. Seems an odd choice now.
Also, what's the deal with the ending? Was Red choked that he kinda lost his chance to get that wish fufilled, because that was what Artie really wanted, not him, or was he just sitting there really unclear at what he actually wanted? I was a little confused.
But yeah, I really like the depressed attitude. The feeling that being a Stalker is the only way he can live in the world the way he wants to. Themes that in today's society if you want to make a living you're going to end up working for somebody, following someone's rules, not much room for the kind of work that Stalking allows.
Malleus on 11/1/2008 at 12:07
The greenbacks and the President thing maybe deliberate errors (to emphasise that the setting is irrelevant to the substance of the novel, I'm just guessing here), or maybe it was really just them not knowing it ... you know it was written by Russians living in the USSR after all.
As for the ending, it seemed to me that he really didn't know what he actually wanted. It's been some since I've read it though.
242 on 11/1/2008 at 13:38
Quote Posted by Malleus
The greenbacks and the President thing maybe deliberate errors (to emphasise that the setting is irrelevant to the substance of the novel, I'm just guessing here), or maybe it was really just them not knowing it ...
Of course they knew it ;) It was called like that just to abstract from real world, I think.
Hidden_7 on 11/1/2008 at 22:32
I'm wondering why have any setting at all then, was my point. If you want to do a really generic non-important setting, it seems odd to me to make a point of setting it somewhere you're not from. I dunno, if I wanted to write something set somewhere non-descript I sure as hell wouldn't set it in some small town in Russia. It'd most likely be unnamed and have vaguely Pacific Northwest environment discriptions, just because that's what I know, but then again I'm not a writer.
nuckinfutzcat on 12/1/2008 at 00:42
Quote Posted by Malleus
As for the ending, it seemed to me that he really didn't know what he actually wanted. It's been some since I've read it though.
He knew.
Hidden_7 on 12/1/2008 at 00:58
Yeah, that's why I was confused. He kinda sat there in confusion, despite maybe wanting that answer. Was it because that was what his head wanted, but he wasn't sure what his heart wanted? Or the other way around? Because the Golden Ball only grants your deepest wish, it comes from your character, which is I suppose why you don't get to choose in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. at the Wish Granter. So was he upset that Artie would have been able to get that wish fufilled, but maybe he wouldn't? Initially he went in to help out Monkey right? Then somewhere on the journey it shifted to wanting to screw over everyone else? Was it that universal happiness WOULD be the way to screw over everyone else?
redrain85 on 13/1/2008 at 00:51
I haven't read the novel, but definitely plan to. I've seen Tarkovsky's film, however. Which I thought was just effing brilliant. One of the most beautiful films I've ever had the pleasure of watching. I'd be curious to know how the film compares to the book? I know it was a pretty loose adaptation. Just like Solaris was.
I recently started playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (damn those dots), and it's definitely giving me vibes similar to the film. A very intriguing game with wonderful atmosphere. Just too bad there are so many technical issues with it. And despite having tweaked it a fair bit (Float32, editing User.ltx), it still runs like ass on my system. Whereas Bioshock and HL2: Episode 2 ran smooth as butter. I'll keep working at it, though.
nuckinfutzcat on 13/1/2008 at 15:03
Quote Posted by Hidden_7
Was it that universal happiness WOULD be the way to screw over everyone else?
No, He was a good guy deep down inside. When it came to the wire he refused to make a selfish or spiteful wish.
