The Wax Persona by Colin Bearne

The Wax Persona by Colin Bearne

The Wax Persona

by Yury Tynyanov. Translated by Colin Bearne

This book is not an easy read, in whatever language, for those unaquainted with Russian history from the time of Peter the Great, and this book is aimed precisely at Russian intellectuals who do know at least a version of this history.

The literary grouping of the 1920s and 1930s, to which Tynyanov loosely adhered, Russian Formalism, did produce some unfamiliar kinds of text of which The Wax Persona is representative. It is a somewhat disconnected narrative consisting more of a set of tableaux with echoes of grotesquerie and ornamentalism.

Objects have immense importance in the tale and in particular tactile and sensory reactions to them. The use of archaisms reflects the fact that words themselves for this writer carry an associative and iconic loading.

In some ways this is almost the screenplay for a film that was never made and this explains many of the visual techniques used.

This translation is offered as an attempt to introduce a non-Russian readership to one of Tyny

Bearne, Colin: - Colin Bearne was born in Plymouth, England. Graduating with double honours in German and Russian Studies from Birmingham University, he was Lecturer in Russian Studies at Sussex University from 1965 until 1990. Formerly Director of Language Centres at Sussex University and later at Middlesex Polytechnic, he holds a Masters degree in German and is the author of numerous translations from German and Russian. Since retiring from teaching he works as a freelance writer, translator and tutor from his home in Norfolk, England.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781916012806
ISBN 10	1916012809
Title	The Wax Persona
Author	Colin Bearne
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Jaki Porter T/A Rosarito
Year published	2019-01-07
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.