# Forum Learning Russian Language Pronunciation, Speech & Accent Audio Lounge  Михаил Булгаков. Собачье сердце. ( + фильм)

## Lampada

*Собачье сердце  - * http://loveread.ws/read_book.php?id=1530&p=1 *or* http://nashbulgakov.ru/books/ss     *Heart of a Dog* http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/29r.pdf
______________________________________  http://www.kinopoisk.ru/*film*/77335/  
Part 1 of 2.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whHySar4EoY 
Part 2 of 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2usMQPheilU

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## Lampada

*http://english.vvord.ru/tekst-filma/Sobachje-serdce/  
Собачье сердце. *  Текст фильма на английском

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## Lampada

Булгаков - Собачье сердце (*аудиокнига*)  
Текст:    http://loveread.ws/read_book.php?id=1530&p=1

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## Throbert McGee

Спасибо, Лампада! Я скачал главы 1 и 2 на русском языке, и теперь пытаюсь читать на оригинале без помощи перевода. (In college Russian classes, we watched the 1988 film with English subtitles, but I found it rather confusing -- at that time, I had not yet read _Master and Margarita_ -- and I didn't know that the movie "Иван Василевич..." was based on a Bulgakov play.) 
By the way, here's the English Wikipedia article on "Heart of a Dog," which provides a relatively detailed plot-summary, although not a chapter-by-chapter analysis.

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## Throbert McGee

An especially good detail from the English Wikipedia article: 
"The name of the donor of the human implants, an alcoholic and bum, is  Chugunkin -- чугун ("chugun") is cast iron-- which can be seen as parody on the  name of Stalin -- сталь ("stal′") is steel." 
P.S. If you want to get technical about it, I'm pretty sure that чугун refers not only to the most primitive and brittle forms of "cast iron" that are only good for making cook-pots with, but also to certain types of "malleable iron" that are greatly superior to "cast iron" and are suitable for making swords and horseshoes -- but they're not nearly as strong as "steel." So no matter how you look it at, "Chugunkin" is an unflattering parody of "Stalin."

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## hddscan

> An especially good detail from the English Wikipedia article: 
> "The name of the donor of the human implants, an alcoholic and bum, is  Chugunkin -- чугун ("chugun") is cast iron-- which can be seen as parody on the  name of Stalin -- сталь ("stal′") is steel." 
> P.S. If you want to get technical about it, I'm pretty sure that чугун refers not only to the most primitive and brittle forms of "cast iron" that are only good for making cook-pots with, but also to certain types of "malleable iron" that are greatly superior to "cast iron" and are suitable for making swords and horseshoes -- but they're not nearly as strong as "steel." So no matter how you look it at, "Chugunkin" is an unflattering parody of "Stalin."

 I'm kind of used to that sort of information but still surprised a little bit, although it still shows that learning Russian language is not enough to understand Russian culture. Stalin seems to be everywhere in English-speaking Russia related news or other information resources. Sometimes I think Stalin is so popular in English-speaking resources that they practically beg Russia to resurrect Stalin's cult of personality. 
Now some reality check.
Chugunkin -- чугун ("chugun") is in fact originated from the cast iron. But till now I(I guess other Russians too) wouldn't even think it might be related to Stalin in any way(especially considering that the book was published in 1925 when Stalin was nobody). And the reason of it is quite simple: чугун is associated in Russian culture with something simple and heavy. There are Russian sayings: чугунный лоб, чугунные мозги, чугунная голова in relation to a particular person, it means that person is stupid (heavy headed, simple minded). 
It's sad that English-speaking media is trying to find something that might have negative political correlation to any Russian in any way. Sometimes creating such BS lies even on Wikipedia. Such Russphobia is depressing. And I only could say to Throbert - Et tu, Brute?

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## Lampada

> ...It's sad that English-speaking media is trying to find something that might have negative political correlation to any Russian in any way. Sometimes creating such BS lies even on Wikipedia. Such Russphobia is depressing. And I only could say to Throbert - Et tu, Brute?

 Какое отношение имеет наш Роберт к русофобам? Давай, может, не будем_ валить с больной головы на здоровую_. 
Зы.  Вики, кстати, тоже просто мессенджер:  _"Ряд булгаковедов считает, что «Собачье сердце» было политической сатирой на руководство государства середины 1920-х годов. В частности, что Шариков-Чугункин — это Сталин (у обоих «железная» вторая фамилия), проф. Преображенский — это Ленин (преобразивший страну), его ассистент доктор Борменталь, постоянно конфликтующий с Шариковым — это Троцкий (Бронштейн), Швондер — Каменев, ассистентка Зина — Зиновьев, Дарья — Дзержинский__ и т. д_.[8]"  https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1...B4%D1%86%D0%B5

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## Eric C.

> I'm kind of used to that sort of information but still surprised a little bit, although it still shows that learning Russian language is not enough to understand Russian culture. Stalin seems to be everywhere in English-speaking Russia related news or other information resources. Sometimes I think Stalin is so popular in English-speaking resources that they practically beg Russia to resurrect Stalin's cult of personality. 
> Now some reality check.
> Chugunkin -- чугун ("chugun") is in fact originated from the cast iron. But till now I(I guess other Russians too) wouldn't even think it might be related to Stalin in any way(especially considering that the book was published in 1925 when Stalin was nobody). And the reason of it is quite simple: чугун is associated in Russian culture with something simple and heavy. There are Russian sayings: чугунный лоб, чугунные мозги, чугунная голова in relation to a particular person, it means that person is stupid (heavy headed, simple minded). 
> It's sad that English-speaking media is trying to find something that might have negative political correlation to any Russian in any way. Sometimes creating such BS lies even on Wikipedia. Such Russphobia is depressing. And I only could say to Throbert - Et tu, Brute?

 Lots of people speak of Hitler when referring to Germany of the 1930s, or Saddam Hussein when referring to Iraq of the end of the 20th century. It's a feature of the English speaking culture if you will - to make fun and parodies of obnoxious dictators. It's real fun, and it may begin to sound funny to you too - if you try understanding it a bit harder.  ::

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## hddscan

> Какое отношение имеет наш Роберт к русофобам? Давай, может, не будем_ валить с больной головы на здоровую_.

 Sure, let's try not to convert your guesses to statements that I did not say. 
To be clear, I did not call Throbert a Russophobe that's your conclusion and a wrong one, I'm just shocked that a most promising American who learns/knows Russian did not realize that he was a victim of propaganda that somebody put on wiki.

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## hddscan

> Lots of people speak of Hitler when referring to Germany of the 1930s, or Saddam Hussein when referring to Iraq of the end of the 20th century. It's a feature of the English speaking culture if you will - to make fun and parodies of obnoxious dictators. It's real fun, and it may begin to sound funny to you too - if you try understanding it a bit harder.

 Since this is getting political, I'm gonna reply in a separate topic. 
Here - Russophobia in media

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## Lampada

> Sure, let's try not to convert your guesses to statements that I did not say. 
> To be clear, I did not call Throbert a Russophobe that's your conclusion and a wrong one, I'm just shocked that a most promising American who learns/knows Russian did not realize that he was a victim of propaganda that somebody put on wiki.

 Если ты считаешь, что в Вики использовали повесть "Собачье сердце для размещения  русофобской пропаганды, ты можешь послать туда  протест и свою точку зрения на работу Булгакова.  Они приглашают поправки и указания на ошибки. 
Повесть "Собачье сердце" - острая сатира тогдашнего времени и руководства,  была запрещена цензурой и не публиковалась при жизни Булгакова.  Может, у тебя и Булгаков станет русофобом? 
Вот что пишет В. Сахаров на сайте http://www.bulgakov.net.ru/llb-ar-author-122/ в статье 
"*Сатира должна идти до конца.*" 
"...Тема повести - человек как существо общественное, над которым тоталитарные  общество и государство производят грандиозный бесчеловечный эксперимент, с  холодной жестокостью воплощая гениальные идеи своих вождей-теоретиков. Этому  перерождению личности служат "новые" литература и искусство. "  "...Поэтому "Собачье сердце" можно прочесть и как опыт художественной антропологии и  патологоанатомии, показавший удивительные духовные превращения человека под  бестрепетным скальпелем истории. И здесь отчётливо видна граница, которую умная  и человечная сатира Булгакова не переходит. Ибо нельзя бездумно издеваться и  смеяться над человеческими несчастьями, даже если человек сам в них повинен.  Личность разрушена, раздавлена, все её многовековые достижения - духовная  культура, вера, семья, дом - уничтожены и запрещены. Шариковы сами не рождаются...   "Мы сегодня много говорим и пишем о "Хомо советикусе", особом ущербном существе,  садистскими методами выращенном в гулаговском "загоне" тоталитарным режимом (см.  соответствующие работы философствующего публициста А.Зиновьева и др.). Но  забываем, что разговор этот начат очень давно и не нами. И выводы были другие. ..."  "Впрочем, фантазировать никому не запрещено. "Собачье сердце" - книга великая и  потому многосмысленная, каждый читает её согласно своему уровню, мыслям, следуя  духу своего времени, находит там своё. "

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## alexsms

прекрасное кино...)))) конечно, не всякий иностранец поймёт все нюансы...

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## Throbert McGee

> the book was published *in 1925 when Stalin was nobody*

 Здесь  я могу сказать только "What the fucking fuckity fuck have you been  smoking?" И если у вас такая высококачественная травка вааще есть,  следовало бы вам угостить нас! Pass the dutchie 'pon de left-hand side, mon! 
Which is just my silly way of saying that Stalin certainly wasn't a "nobody" in 1925 -- even before that, around 1922, Lenin was critical of Stalin, and Bulgakov certainly knew that!

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## hddscan

> Which is just my silly way of saying that Stalin certainly wasn't a "nobody" in 1925 -- even before that, around 1922, Lenin was critical of Stalin, and Bulgakov certainly knew that!

 The letter was first time read in 1924 (even that it was allegedly written in 1922) and it was printed for public only in 1927, so Bulgakov certainly couldn't know about it by the time the book was written 
All the information is right there, on that wiki page.
Considering that Bulgakov has met "main character" of the book in 1917 any relation to Stalin seems like a big stretch. But whatever makes your day. This feels like a disappointment now.

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## Throbert McGee

Well, I'm happy to be corrected. And I agree it's possible that Bulgakov (at the time he was writing the book) did not intend the name Чугункин to be a wordplay on Сталин, but only a reference to expressions like чугунная голова, as you suggested.

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## alexsms

1917 г. - Сталин - Нарком по делам нац. РСФСР (по современному - министр). 
1922 - Сталин - Ген.сек. ЦК ВКП(б), т.е. по рангу то же, что Горбачёв, Хрущев, Брежнев позже, 
т.е. в 1922 г. он был одним из главных людей страны.

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