VL bush-vet

[Mark Kohut]

Reading READING RILKE: Reflections on the problem of translation by Wm Gass, I read: "Translating is reading, reading of the best,
most essential kind. YES! 
(I wish I could),
 Keep it up all. 

From: Ruth Flatscher <ruflatsch at gmail.com>
To: Charles Albert <cfalbert at gmail.com> 
Cc: Max Nemtsov <max.nemtsov at gmail.com>; pynchon-l <pynchon-l at waste.org> 
Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2013 3:48 PM
Subject: Re: VL bush-vet



I was first puzzled by this sentence, too, because my foreign-language mind did not immediately recognize "vet" as an abbreviation for "veteran", instead of "veterinarian"...

Max (and Mike, as well!) - some p-listers have said it before, and I'll have to take the same line: I think such translation-related issues are a great enrichment of this mailing list, stimulating in-depth re-reading and interesting discussions, and often different people come up with matching or complementary pieces of the puzzle we're all trying to solve, one or the other enjoyable way. I hope you will keep us posted with such questions, we'll bear you with delight...

Ruth




On 10 August 2013 22:04, Charles Albert <cfalbert at gmail.com> wrote:

I suspect that "bush-vet" refers to someone who was actually "in the field" (having seen combat) as opposed to just being on base.
>
>love,
>cfa 
>
>
>
>On Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 3:01 PM, Max Nemtsov <max.nemtsov at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>Dear colleagues,
>>it so happened that instead of translating V. I was after all commissioned to translate Vineland first, then V.
>>so please bear with me if i ask some dumb questions, will you?
>>
>>Isaiah, in their greeting, wanted to slap and dap, having always =20
>>somehow believed that Zoyd had seen combat in Vietnam. Some of this =20
>>was bush-vet and jailyard moves Zoyd recognized, some was private =20
>>choreography he couldn't keep up with, though he tried, Isaiah =20
>>throughout humming Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze." "Hey, so, Mr. =20
>>Wheeler," Isaiah at last, "how you doing?"
>>Vineland, pg. 18
>>
>>explain "bush-vet"?
>>with all my gratitude,
>>Mx
>>
>


-- 

Mag. Ruth Flatscher
Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Vienna
Institute of Botany, University of Innsbruck
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