The Ordeal

BilventsevTimes Press1945

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Literature Foreign LiteratureWorld Classics Social LifeCollective FarmComing of AgeOld TranslationRealismTranslationFull-Length NovelRussian LiteratureWartime EraSoviet Literature

Summary

The Ordeal is one of the representative novels by the Soviet writer Boris Gorbatov, translated into Chinese by Bai Han and first published by Shidai Publishing House in January 1945, with a second edition in April 1950. Shidai Publishing House was one of the important publishing institutions in Shanghai during the 1940s and 1950s that translated and introduced Russian and Soviet literature, which helped this book circulate around the founding of the People's Republic of China. Another Chinese edition titled The Test (translated by Wang Hao, published by the Foreign Languages Publishing Bureau in 1945) also exists, and a popularized adaptation titled The Test (adapted by Qian Jiabiao, published by Kaiming Bookstore in 1951) is likewise related to this work, indicating that the novel had a certain influence among readers of the time. It should be noted that, due to limited source materials on the original edition, the specific plot, character composition, and chapter arrangement of this book cannot currently be confirmed, and no fictional description is offered here. What can be confirmed is that this book is a Soviet novel translated into Chinese in the 1940s. Such works often take factories, construction sites, collective farms, or wartime social life as their background and portray characters tempered in arduous circumstances; the title The Ordeal itself also suggests the theme of "a person growing through trials." For readers studying the history of modern Chinese translation and publishing, the history of the dissemination of Russian and Soviet literature in China, and the reception of foreign literature around the "Seventeen Years" period, this book is a concrete sample for examination; ordinary readers who wish to understand works of this kind may also read it alongside Soviet novels translated and introduced in the same period.

Editor's review

这是一本在今天已较少被提及、却在出版史上有坐标意义的旧译。它诞生于1945年的上海，由时代出版社推出，译者白寒。彼时抗战方歇，俄苏文学的译介正处在高峰期，一批苏联小说经由上海的各家出版社进入中文读者的视野，《试炼》就是其中的一本。 本书的价值大致体现在三个层面。其一，它是俄苏文学在中国传播链条上的一个具体环节。同一部作品在当时还有题作《考验》的译本，1951年又出现面向普通读者的通俗改写本，由此可见其在当年的接受热度。其二，它是研究民国末期至建国初期翻译出版状况的一份实证材料——从译者选择、书名改易，到通俗本对原译本的「降维」改写，都可以从中看出当时的读者结构与出版逻辑。其三，作为文学作品本身，它承载着那一代苏联小说常见的主题：人在艰难环境中接受磨炼、在集体与责任中获得成长。 当然也要坦率说明：本书版本较旧，目前可核实的书目信息有限，故本书详情页在字数、评分、目录等处留空，不作推测性填写。建议读者把它当作一本「有史料体温的旧译」来读，而不是当作畅销新书。

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Reading tips

  1. 先了解时代出版社与20世纪40年代上海俄苏文学译介的背景，再进入正文，阅读体验会更完整。
  2. 可与题作《考验》的其他译本或1951年通俗改写本对读，观察书名改易与文本简化的处理方式。
  3. 把本书放在翻译出版史的脉络中阅读，注意译者序跋、版权页等副文本信息。
  4. 若手头版本残缺或信息不全，建议配合图书馆书目记录与相关研究论文核实版本。

About the publisher

Times Press

Public information about Times Press is limited. At present, the library holds only one book published by it, namely The Trial by Bilventsev. Judging from this title and the common categories assigned to it, the press's publishing focus involves literature, world classics, and foreign literature, with the introduction and publication of foreign literary works as a visible thread. As a representative title, The Trial reflects the publisher's attention to narrative literature and its orientation toward translating and presenting foreign literary works. Because details such as its founding background and publishing scale have not been confirmed, a fuller account of its history and overall profile cannot yet be given; this introduction is based mainly on the bibliographic information available in the library and highlights the press's basic presence in literary publishing.

FAQ

《试炼》的作者和译者是谁？ 据现有书目资料，本书为苏联作家毕尔文采夫所著长篇小说，中文本由白寒翻译，时代出版社1945年1月初版，1950年4月再版。
这本书是不是三联「新知文库」里的一种？ 不是。三联书店「新知文库」是介绍人文社科与自然科学新知识的丛书；《试炼》是20世纪40年代由时代出版社出版的苏联小说旧译，两者不宜混淆。
为什么这本书的目录和评分是空的？ 因为该版本年代久远，暂未核实到可靠的完整目录与读者评分数据。为避免编造，本页相关字段留空，待有确切资料后再补充。

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About the author

Bilventsev Author

Bilventsev is an author about whom relatively little is known. Publicly available information is limited, and basic details such as nationality and dates of birth and death remain unclear. Only one work by this author can currently be confirmed, namely The Trial. In the library's catalog this work is classified under literature, world classics, and foreign literature, suggesting that it is regarded as a translated work of literary value. The title The Trial itself carries connotations of testing and tempering, and usually implies that the work focuses on a character's experiences and spiritual changes amid hardship; however, given the insufficient information, its specific plot and background should not be speculated upon. On the basis of the available information, Bilventsev's writing is known to Chinese readers mainly through this single work, and there is still a lack of sufficient material for a systematic assessment of thematic orientation and stylistic features. Research on this author awaits the disclosure of more public information and further details about translations.