[Porgy. A novel]. Pordzhi: Roman.
$1,200 · Offered by Biblio
The only Russian translation of the novel. After this translation, only the text of a play (1961) and a libretto (1965, 1973) were published. One of 3 570 copies published. The novel 'Porgy' (1925) by DuBose Heyward (1885–1940) tells the story of Porgy, a crippled street beggar living in the Black tenements of Charleston, South Carolina, in the 1920s. The novel was adapted into a play of the same name in 1927 by Heyward and his wife, playwright Dorothy Heyward. Three years later, 'Porgy' was published in Russian. In 1935, George Gershwin, the son of Jewish emigrants from the Russian Empire, composed the operatic version 'Porgy and Bess', which is now one of the best-known and most frequently performed operas. Interestingly, 'Porgy and Bess' was performed in the USSR in 1955, marking the first visit of an American theatrical troupe to the Soviet Union. Taking place during the Cold War, the tour was part of a broader effort to promote cultural diplomacy between the USA and the USSR. Notably, Truman Capote accompanied the troupe on this historic visit. The translator of this Russian edition is possibly Vera Dilevskaya (1888–1952), the sister of the revolutionary Olga Dilevskaya, who was acquainted with a young Yakov Sverdlov and Joseph Stalin. In 1912 Vera, an active member of the Bolshevik Party also, was forced to emigrate, during which she studied at the Sorbonne. The cover and illustrations for this book were created by graphic artist and illustrator Evgenii Belukha (1889–19
- Publisher: Kooperativnoe izdatelstvo “Vremia”
- Year: 1930
- Binding: hardcover
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