AboutNatasha Kozyreva Expertise You can ask me questions on the Russian language, literature and culture. As a resident of Saint-Petersburg, I'd be glad to answer questions about it as well.
I am currently reading, in Turkish translation, what is one of the most wonderfully moving books I've ever read in my whole life.
Since it was originally written in Russian, I wish to find out more, but in order to do so, I need to know how to tap in the details in Russian.
Please could you write the following for me in Russian so I can carry out the necessary search on Google etc.:
"Judith, a book by Nikita Ignatievich Saloff-Astakhoff."
The Turkish is "Yudit" - perhaps the Russian verson of the name is closer to the Turkish than the English.
Best wishes,
Simon
ANSWER: Dear Simon,
I believe that would be the biblical Judith, or Юдифь in Russian. The author's name seems to be quite rare, so you may only need to tap in the last name and the name of the book. You can try googling these queries:
Юдифь, (автор) Никита Игнатьевич Салов-Астахов
Юдифь, Н.И. Салов-Астахов
Юдифь, Салов-Астахов
One more thing is that the Russian title might be different.
This is definitely not a mainstream book, so I'm a bit surprised it got translated into a foreign language. And I'm glad you are enjoying it.
To answer your query, it's actually a true story about a Hebrew girl who becomes a Christian. Not only is it very moving, it also really brings to life the characters of the members of a family of traditional Jews just before the Russian Revolution, some living completely in the past and others trying, with varying degrees of success, to adapt to changing conditions and values.
Please could you let me know the word stresses in Юдифь, (автор) Никита Игнатьевич Салов-Астахов? Also, is the final letter in Юдифь completely silent or does it soften the ф, please?
Many thanks again,
Simon
Answer Dear Simon,
You are most welcome.
The description sounds intriguing and I'll definitely give it a go.
The stresses:
ЮдИфь (the ф is softened by the ь). And, by the way, this name inflects (the stress stays the same): Юдифь, Юдифи, Юдифью.
НикИта ИгнАтьевич САлов-АстАхов
