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The Reception of Truman Capote in Slovenia
Section 3. Literature of peoples of foreign countries
Potocnik Jasna Topler, University of Maribor, PhD in American Studies, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Tourism E-mail: jasna.potocnikl@um.si
The Reception of Truman Capote in Slovenia
Abstract: Truman Capote (1924-1984) is one of the most prominent authors of the post-war generation ofwriters in the United States ofAmerica. Despite the fact that his major works Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood were translated into Slovenian quite early by Maila Golob, Capote did not influence literary trends in Slovenia. Until today, the following three of Capote’s novels and a prose collection have been translated into Slovenian: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Zajtrk pri Tiffanyju), In Cold Blood (Hladnokrvno), and Other Voices, Other Rooms (Drugi glasovi, druge sobe) and the collection Music for Chameleons (Glasba za kameleone).
Keywords: Truman Capote, reception, Slovenia, American, literature, translation.
Truman Capote, one of the most prominent post-war American writers, was born on 30 September 1924 as Truman Streckfus Persons in New Orleans in Louisiana, and was raised in various parts of the South (Alabama, New Georgia). His childhood was very unhappy. His parents could not provide a safe family environment for him and they soon divorced. Consequently, Capote spent the majority of his childhood with his relatives. This strongly marked his whole writing career [6, 6-7].
Capote left school when he was fifteen and subsequently worked for the New Yorker. According to his beliefs, college was a waste of time for someone who wanted to become a writer [11, 38].
Capote’s first novel Other Voices, Other Rooms was published in 1948. The book was not a huge success, but it assured Capote a place among the most prominent American authors of the generation after the Second World War. The story focuses on a teenager’s awareness of his own homosexuality. The novel is semi-biographical, and it helped Capote to discover his identity as a man, a homosexual, and an artist [6, 150-162]. The first Capote’s novel was translated into Slovenian in 2010 by Suzana Tratnik under the title Drugi glasovi, druge sobe. The translation was
published by one of the leading Slovenian publishing houses Cankarjeva zalozba. However, it should be stated that in Slovenia the first Capote’s novel was noticed long before 2010. As early as 1951 Slovenian literary critic Janez Gradisnik mentioned Truman Capote and his first novel Other Voices, Other Rooms in the magazine called Novi svet [10, 39]. According to Gradisnik, with his novel Other Voices, Other Rooms Capote proved that he was one of the most talented authors of his time.
As early as 1950s Truman Capote was well known among people belonging to literary circles in Slovenia. According to [10], the majority of the articles on Capote and his works were signed by Janez Gradisnik. In his article titled “Sodobno sve-tovno pripovednistvo in nasa prevajalska dejavnost” (“Contemporary world prose and our tranlation activity”), published in the Slovenian magazine Nova obzorja in 1958, Gradisnik listed the authors who were dealing with homosexuality in their works. Among Gore Vidal and Frederick Buechner he also mentioned Truman Capote. Gradisnik was critical towards them and he even stated that they were stuck “in a kind of constructed world of their” (Gradisnik 1958: 226 in [10, 40]). Furthermore, in this article
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Section 3. Literature of peoples of foreign countries
Gradisnik listed the reasons why the authors had not yet been translated into Slovenian. He argued that there was very little behind the metaphors and the style in their writings.
In 1958 Gradisnik published another article on the generation of the young American writers in the magazine Nova obzorja. This time he stated that Vidal, Buechner and Capote were very talented young writers (Gradisnik 1958: 252 v [10, 41]).
The following article worth mentioning is titled “Nekaj misli o sodobni ameriski knjizevnosti” (“Some thoughts on contemporary American literature”) by Vlado Habjan published in the newspaper Primorski dnevnik in 1951. Habjan asked himself who of the writers of the young American generation might have been the next Steinbeck, Faulkner or Dreiser. Among the possible candidates he mentioned Truman Capote. The same year Capote is again mentioned in the journal Vestnik — in the article titled “Povojni roman v Ameriki” (“Post-war novel in America”). An unknown author argued that Capote and some of the young authors were too selfcentred and not interested enough in the real world (Gradisnik 1958: 252 v [10, 41]).
Further on, Capote is presented in the article by Vasja Ocvirk in the magazine Mladinska revija of the year 1950/1951. There the writer’s interesting private life was described and the plot of the novel Other Voices, Other Rooms was presented (Ocvirk 1950/1951: 500 in [10, 42]).
In 1955, the journal Nasi razgledi published several articles on Capote. One of them had a title “Truman Capote, novi ameriski pripovednik” (“Truman Capote, the new American storyteller”). There it was stated that the French translation of Capote’s A Tree of Night and Other Stories was very successful in Paris (Ocvirk 1950/1951: 500 in [10, 42]).
Also Leonora Flis [8, 164] notes that in Slovenia there is little published on Capote’s earlier texts (those from the forties and fifties of the twentieth century), but at the beginning of the sixties the interest in Capote’s works in Slovenia increased. In 1960, the newspaper Delo wrote about Capote and his awarded story “Miriam” that was also aired on the Slovenian television in 1960.
It should be noted that Slovenian readers received the novel Breakfast at Tiffany's very well.
In 1965, the newspaper Ljubljanski dnevnik stated that in the bookstores in Ljubljana this was the second best-selling book. The popularity rose further after in 1965 the novel was translated into Slovenian by Maila Golob (Slovenian translation Zajtrk pri Tiffanyju was published by Mladinska knjiga, which was one of the leading publishing houses in Slovenia of that time). In 1960s Capote was mentioned several times in Slovenian national newspapers Delo and Vecer. In 1966 the latter reported that the film Breakfast at Tiffany's was a huge success. It should be noted that by many people in Slovenia Capote is most remembered by this film [10, 43]and that in Slovenia Breakfast at Tiffany's (Zajtrk pri Tiffanyju) is Capote’s most popular work.
The following ofCapotes bestsellers was the novel In Cold Blood. Despite the fact that also the movie based on the novel was shot, the book could not surpass the success of Capote’s previous novel Breakfast at Tiffany's. The film Capote, filmed in 2005, shows the six years of creation of this novel. It was published in 1966 by Random House and mentioned in Slovenian newspapers as early as 1966. In the newspaper Vecer it was stated that among American non-fiction works In Cold Blood held the first place [10, 46]. Firstly, in newspaper articles, In Cold Blood was translated into Slovenian as Ohlajena kri, which was incorrect. A year later, in 1967 Maila Golob translated the whole novel into Slovenian and she translated the title as Hladnokrvno, which is a correct solution. The Slovenian translation of In Cold Blood was published by the Mladinska knjiga publishing house. Slovenian literary critic Adrijan Lah praised Capote’s non-fiction novel and its translation in his 1969 article published in the newspaper called Nedeljski dnevnik, and he compared the Capote’s novel with Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye [8, 164-165; 10, 45].
Shortly after the release of the Slovenian translation of In Cold Blood, the magazine Knjiga, intended primarily for librarians, presented Capote’s non-fiction novel, the plot of the book, and the writer’s efforts to write a novel that any other author failed to write. In 1967 also the newspaper Vecer devoted a whole article to this Capote’s masterpiece [8, 164; 10, 45].
While writing the novel In Cold Blood Capote started drinking and taking pills. He announced the title of his next novel — Answered Prayers. But
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The Reception of Truman Capote in Slovenia
when in 1975 the magazine Esquire published the first chapter, this triggered a wave of indignation in some circles of his wealthy friends who had recognized themselves in Capote’s characters. They felt betrayed, and they started rejecting him. Due to the public rejection Capote became depressed. But despite alcohol, drugs and severe depression Capote was able to write. His next book, Music for Chameleons (1980) was praised by critics as a collection of excellent prose [6, 380-532]. The collection was translated into Slovenian as Glasba za kameleone by Vlado Senica in 1988 and published by Presernova druzba.
It can be stated without exaggeration that Truman Capote had long been relatively little noticed in Slovenia. He was known by the professional public, but otherwise quite often rather overlooked. According to Flis [8, 164-165], Intihar Klancar [10, 39] and Potocnik [12, 82-85] his works in 1940s and 1950s had not attracted much attention by the critics in Slovenia. Many of his works were not even translated. The Slovenian magazines and newspapers published a few articles on Capote, but they were mainly about the author’s style and were often wondering whether good style was enough for a successful writing career. Authors of the articles in the Slovenian newspapers liked to write about Capote’s varied personal life and his open homosexuality [12, 82-85]. Similarly, San-di Cvek in his article “Truman Capote: a beautiful child”, published in the January issue of the Pepita magazine in 1993 was interested in Capote’s personal life. Flis [8, 164-165] also notes that despite initial enthusiasm of the Slovenian critics Capote’s nonfiction or documentary novel In Cold Blood did not become a model for Slovenian authors and did not influence the Slovenian literary trends.
In Slovenia, the interest of the general public in Truman Capote increased again in 2006, when in Slovenian cinemas the film Capote about the writer and the emergence of the novel In Cold Blood was screened. The film from 2005 was based on the book by Gerald Clark and directed by Bennett Miller. At the time, the majority of the Slovenian media wrote about Capote. In the magazine Mladina Marcel Stefancic wrote that Capote was “a liberal seducer, saloon dandy and showman” [14], adding that the novel In Cold Blood destroyed Capote [14].
In 2006, Capote received additional attention in Slovenia because the novel Truman Capote v Sinaloi by Cesar Lopez Cuadras was translated into Slovenian by Marjeta Drobnic. The article on the translation of Cuadras’s novel was published in Slovenian literary magazine called Bukla.
In 2014, Truman Capote would have been ninety years old. The anniversary was marked also in Slovenia. In April 2014 the national televison of Slovenia aired a film on Capote titled Infamous that was filmed in the United States in 2006 and based on the book Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career by George Plimpton. By publishing an article on the non-fiction novel In Cold Blood in December 2014 also the Slovenian journal Dialogi marked the anniversary of Capote’s birth. It can be concluded that nowadays despite only four of Capote’s translations into Slovenian, Truman Capote is well known in the literary environment in Slovenia. Also in Slovenia there are a few Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral dissertations that deal with the works of Truman Capote. Among the researches Flis and Merljak Zdovc, who have extensively dealt with literary journalism, should me mentioned.
References:
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Capote Truman. In Cold Blood. - London: Penguin Books, 2000.
Capote Truman. Drugi glasovi, druge sobe. - Ljubljana: Cankarjeva zalozba, 2010.
Capote Truman. Zajtrk pri Tiffanyju. - Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 2004.
Capote Truman. Hladnokrvno. Prev. Maila Golob. - Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 1978.
Capote Truman. Glasba za kameleone. - Ljubljana: Presernova druzba, 1988.
Clarke Gerald. 1988. Capote: A Biography. - London: Abacus, 1996.
Cobiss.//[Electronic resource]. - Available from: http://www.cobiss.si. (25 April, 2015).
Flis Leonora. Factual Fictions: Narrative Truth and the Contemporary American Documentary Novel. -Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010.
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Section 3. Literature of peoples of foreign countries
9. Grobel Lawrence. Conversations with Capote. - USA: Da Capo Press, 2000
10. Intihar Natasa Klancar. “Slovene Reactions to Truman Capote’s Writing”. Acta Neophilologica. - Ljubljana: FF, 2004.
11. Plimpton George. Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career. - London, Basingstoke in Oxford: Picador, 1998.
12. Potocnik Jasna. Resnicnost in fikcija v delih Trumana Capoteja in Normana Mailerja. - Ljubljana: FF, 2007
13. Potocnik Topler Jasna. “Truman Capote: Hladnokrvno - Se zmeraj politicno aktualen roman”. Dia-logi. - Maribor: Aristej, 2014.
14. Stefancic Marcel, 2006: Mladina 10.3.2006.//[Electronic resource]. - Available from: http://www. mladina.si/99401/capote. (10 November, 2014)
Sirojiddinov Shukhrat, National University of Uzbekistan, PhD in philology, the faculty of the Uzbek filology E-mail: shsirojiddinov@mail.ru
Mir Alisher Navoi and his Persian-language poetry
Abstract: Mir Alisher Navoi highly appraised his predecessors and teachers such as Hafiz, Sa’di, Nizami and Djami the famous Persian poets. The article characterizes the literary heritage of Navoi in the Persian language, meanly of his “Divan-e Foni” and provides comparative analysis of its manuscripts.
Keywords: Navoi, Foni, manuscripts, dastans, gazelles, Timurids’ reign.
Mir Alisher Navoi (1441, February 9 Herat — 1501, January 3 the same city) lived and worked during the period of Timurids’ reign. He was a highly estimated and adored man of his time in Persian and Turkic dwellings as the greatest poet, scholar and statesman. If we look more thoroughly into the contents and essence of his books, we can note the peculiar interpretation done by him concerning all religious, philosophic and mystic viewpoints existed in the Eastern Lands at that time. Navois dastans (poems) and gazelles (a genre of Oriental poetry) are deeply soaked with broad scientific, literary, religious, philosophic ideas that demand of a reader great knowledge to understand and interpret most of his gazelles. And without any doubt the influence of such famous Persian poets as Farid ad-din Attar, Kasim Anvor, Hafiz Sherazi on Navoi’s outlooks was immense. It can be proved with his words written in the book “Lisan at-tayr” (The language of birds) where he mentioned that he had learned Farid ad-din Attar’s “Mantiq at-tayr” (The logic of birds) by heart from the beginning up to the end still being
a schoolboy, and knew Sa’di’s “Gulistan” (Dwelling of flowers) and “Bustan” (Land of flowers and prosperity) very well. And, indeed, the famous azerbay-janian poet Nizami Gandjavi (XIII c.) and the indian poet Khosrav Dehlavi (XIV c.) made a great influence on little Alisher. Turning to those grandiose personalities he wrote the following words in his dastan “Sadd-e Iskandari” (The wall of Alexander). Kichik erkonimdin bo’lib qoshima,
Ulug muddao soldingiz boshima [14, 31]. (At my very early ages, you made me Deal with great deeds willingly).
It makes us believe that Alisher aimed at writing “Khamsa” (Quinary)at his very early age. In his book “Muhakamat al-lughatayyin” (Dispute of two languages) he with notable respect mentioned the names of those poets who wrote in Persian. They were Ferdousi, Khakani, Anvari, Kamal Ismail, Salman Savadji, Sa’di, and Hafiz Sherazi. Abd ar-rahman Jami considered Navoi to be one of the notorious poets who wrote in the Persian language. So he wrote:
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