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Title: Russian Optimism
Subtitle: Dark Nursery Rhymes to Cheer You Right Up
Author: Ben Rosenfeld, Dov Smiley (Illustrator)
Narrator: Lady Narration
Format: Unabridged
Length: 11 mins
Language: English
Release date: 03-20-15
Publisher: Benjamin Rosenfeld
Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes
Genres: Fiction, Humor
Publisher's Summary:
Russian Optimism: Dark Nursery Rhymes to Cheer You Right Up is an audiobook of thirty of Russia's most horrifically hysterical nursery rhymes translated for an English-speaking audience. Each rhyme is two to four lines, with an innocent title and a horrible ending. For example, "The Woods": "A little boy found a machine gun. Nothing lives in the woods anymore." The rhymes are grouped in seven ironically titled chapters: Moral Messages, Parenting Pointers, Classic Cooking, Aquatic Adventures, Close Calls, Cheery Children, and Explosive Endings.
Members Reviews:
Itâs a reasonably funny overview of a part of Russian culture normally hidden ...
Pros:
Itâs a reasonably funny overview of a part of Russian culture normally hidden from those that didnât grow up in it. I canât think of any similar product, in any language.
Cons:
(1) The poems often have the wrong words in them (in Russian). They fit the cadence, but lose some of the nuance and wit. These are really famous poems, so even small changes in wording are immediately noticeable to anyone from Kiev to Moscow.
(2) The English translations are really poorly done. I can only imagine they were done by the author himself and not an actual translator: they lose the wit, the references, rhyme, cadence. I mean, you can try to translate the âsongâ of a poem and give up on literal meaning, or you can go the other way, but these translations seem to lose on both fronts.
(3) The phonetic English versions are just odd. Some are clearly phonetic transcriptions for English readers; some use the (informally official) âRussian in English lettersâ (where, for example, the author uses an English G instead of an English V to make a V sound, because in Russian V is made by the letter G). Itâs very inconsistent, and I canât tell who itâs supposed to be for.
3 stars for novelty, 0 for execution.
Not your usual nursery rhymes
This book offers a glimpse into a very different culture. I appreciated the introduction which clearly demonstrated the difference in American and Russian perspectives. It made me curious about Russian films and was honest about what the book has to offer / how it's offered.
The illustrations are some of the best I've seen in a kindle e-book. I enjoyed the simple layout and bright, beautiful colors. The text was still surprisingly easy to read.
My one disappointment is that it didn't rhyme in English, but maybe I'll learn Russian, come back, and have a fit. It was still pretty funny and great to look at.
So happy I found this!
Here at my work we have video conference meetings daily with a supporting team in Ukraine. Sometimes I'll try to read the phoenetic Russian from it and that usually gets a good laugh from the team. I wouldn't call these nursery rhymes so much but according to my friend who grew up in the Soviet Union more as limericks that naughty kids would tell. Very hillarious. I'm glad I found this.
Five Stars
You'll learn about Russian culture AND embrace the inescapable empty void that eventually consumes us all!
Loved this book
Loved this book! My husband is of Russian decent, and he really enjoyed it as well. Dark, funny, well written and beautifully illustrated. Props that it began as a kick starter!!!