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Loading... Thais of Athens (edition 2011)by Ivan Yefremov, Writing Wildly Editing Services (Editor), Maria K. (Illustrator), Maria K. (Translator), Maria K. (Cover Design)
Work InformationThais of Athens by Ivan Jefremov
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  kara-karina | Nov 20, 2015 |   The translation by Maria K. is clearly a labor of love, but it’s also amateurish. Her translation of the book into English is “with an accent”, with occasional grammatical errors, the illustrations she adds to start chapters are not very artistic, and her reader’s reference at the book’s outset would have benefited far more from the inclusion of a map and a basic glossary than what’s in there. Footnotes in the text are few and far between; ancient place names are footnoted at page 500+ in a small bunch; the reader really could have used those throughout to avoid having to turning to the Internet, which I did. She is a little hampered by the original; too many Greek words are used, almost as if Yefremov was trying to show off his erudition, as opposed to furthering the story line. His transitions in the plot are uneven and abrupt; it’s a raw, unpolished work. Furthermore, while historical fiction is always tough, this one rang false in many places, ascribing too much power and influence to Thais, among other things. And yet, the blindness of Alexander’s quest comes through, goaded on by poor advice from Aristotle and others on how small the earth was, the book brings forward a feminist message, and one does learn a thing or two about the ancient world along the way. It should have been tightened up considerably on all fronts though, and I’d only recommend it if this era is of particular interest. (  )1  gbill | Oct 12, 2014 | no reviews | add a review
Thais, the best-selling novel by Ivan Yefremov, a prominent Russian scientist and writer, was first published in Russia nearly forty years ago. It has sold millions of copies and to some extent has shaped the national cultural outlook on femininity and true humanity.Set in the era of Alexander the Great, the book tells a story of an Athenian hetaera Thais, whose fascinating image captures readers' hearts and minds from the very first chapter and makes you fall in love with the heroine, or more precisely the image created by Yefremov - the image of a Muse, a word that has gone out of use, as well as the concept itself. The novel embraces the authentic historical overview and, with more relevance to our time, offers a unifying distinction of the ancient philosophies and religions through the prism of the universal humane values of all times. The pivoting point of the novel is the female aspect of divinity, the disregard, and diminution of which led to the domination of machismo reflected in spiritual and social trends, culture and ultimately human progress. The time has come for the rest of the world to discover Thais in order to remind us all of what true feminine beauty is - a combination of beautiful body, mind, and spirit; the very ideal of a woman. No library descriptions found. |
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Wikipedia in English
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This is a story of the most famous hetaera of Greece, wife of Ptolemey, who conquered Egypt and a friend and companion of Alexander the Great; she was the woman who burned Persepolis.
The novel was written in 1972, and this is a pure testament to the power of women through the history.
There is mysticism and deep historical research, philosophers and old gods, erotism and pure intelligence.
One of those books to read before you die. (