So sing, my darling! Illustrated Tchastouchki
This academic event will be chaired by Jean Radvanyi, Professor Emeritus at Inalco.
Speakers
- Galina Bystritskaya, Painter and illustrator behind the project
- Gassan Gousseinov, Philologist, Hellenist, Lecturer at the Free University (Свободный университет)
- Pierre Kaufmann, Translator and adaptor.
Moderator
- Jean Radvanyi, Professor Emeritus at INALCO
Book summary
The tchastushka is a form of traditional Russian oral poetry. Often humorous, these popular quatrains – as they usually consist of four rhyming lines – are characterised by drawing their main elements from salacious and risqué vocabulary, presented in a context that is deliberately critical of the social hierarchies and the religious or political influence of their time. Tchastushki are sometimes set to music, accompanied by the balalaika or accordion. They cover a wide range of subjects, from simple humorous sketches to political satire.
The collection published by Ginkgo Editeur comprises 144 of these chastushki, adapted and versified into French by Pierre Kaufmann and illustrated by Galina Bystritskaya. The original Russian texts are included at the end of the book.
Organisation
- Jean Radvanyi (Inalco, CREE)