Copyright notice Date: 21 Apr 2000 Good day, Orson! My english is not good, sorry, hope, you can understand my letter. I am montainer of e-library with russian books. It's not commercial project, it's library, which is gathered by it's readers - peoples send to library the books, that are (in their oppinion) good for library. Also many russian writers too sends their book to library. Many russian peoples live abroad, where it's impossible to get printed version of book on russian, and also many good books are out of prints and are unavalable at all. In those kind elibrary is only way to keep native language in the mind... I hope, that you don not be angry on me for placing translations of your book to my site, and of course - it's on your will - to say me "hide it all away" or "it's possible with some conditions" or "I am eager for my work to be available in Russian"... or any other word - you are author - and you have last word in this case. Here information about printed translations of your works to russian. Them are printed by welknown in Russia sci-fi pub.house "AST" (http://www.ast.ru) and pub.house "TERRA" I can not claim exactly, but I think (and hope), that all translations "AST" and "TERRA" prints in ofittial way, with obtaining permition from author or his agent. "The Seventh Son" ("AST") http://www.ozon.ru/detail.cfm/ent=2&id=4019 Ender's Game / Speaker for the Dead (transl. E.Mikhajlich) Printed by "AST" (http://www.ast.ru) ISBN 5-237-04760-2, ("AST") 10,000 copyes republication of translation at 1994 Details (in russian) http://www.ozon.ru/detail.cfm/ent=2&id=13009 "Redskin (?)fortailer" (? do not know exact word in english "prorok" - person, who say, what should be in the future) (translator A.Zhikarentsev) ("AST") http://www.ozon.ru/detail.cfm/ent=2&id=4012 Expiation of Chistofor Columb (translated by ?) ISBN 5-300-01997-6 Printed by pub.house "TERRRA", Moscow On my site are placed transtations of "Ender's Game" (translated by A.Kuzmin) "Speaker for the Dead" (translated by A.Kuzmin) "The Seventh Son" (translated by Misha Sharaev) "Expiation of Chistophor Columb" (I do not know translator) and 3 short stories: "Eye for eye", "1000 deathes", "Sonata" I have no information, is file I have on site - "Ender game" and "Speaker for the Dead" OCRed from offitial printed version, or it is another translation. It may be case that translator make translation, but failed to publish it, but may be it simply the same translation as printed, but vrong name is on it. Unfortunally I had lost my copy of paper book with "Ender", so I'll try to compare file and book sometime later, when I'll get it back. P.S. I self is not big lover of american sci-fi (I thing, that most american sci-fi writing is some like "junk food" - "junk reading", sorry), but few of writer during last year was interesting for me. Them are - Zelazny (for "Amber" and "Nights in October"), Barbara Hambly (with "Them, who hunts in the night"), Den Simons ("Hiperion"), and - yes - really - Orson Scott Card - I have read your "Ender Game" in previous year, and I liked it, thank you for your writing, it's good thing. I was glad to get message from you in any case, glad to meet you. Also I'm ready to answer to any your questions, if you have it. Maksim Moshkow (project "Maksim Moshkow's library") OrsonCard@aol.com wrote: > > Sorry, I don't read Russian - just enough to recognize my name in Cyrillic > letters. Thus I have no idea what this site is, and whether this online > publication represents authorized translations of my work or pirated > translations. Since I am eager for my work to be available in Russian, in > principle I am delighted that someone would care enough to make my work > available. However, in the effort to get authorized translations published > in print form, it would seriously hurt the publisher who paid for the > translation and publication if pirated, unauthorized versions were made > available. Also, I have no way of knowing what the quality of the > translation is like when I am not part of the process. > > So I would appreciate your letting me know just what is going on here - which > works have been translated and posted, who has done the translation, what > rights have been acquired (and through whom), and how many readers have > accessed and downloaded these manuscripts. This would also be of interest > and help to the librarians who keep a complete record of all editions - > authorized or not - of my work . > > It is my sincere hope that all matters can be clarified and resolved in a way > that will make my work available in the best possible translations to the > widest possible audience, without violating the rights of publishers who have > paid for the right to make authorized editions. > > Sincerely, > Orson Scott Card > > http://www.hatrack.com letter 2 > Thank you for your letter. I sympathize completely with the desire to make > fiction available, My project not only about fiction. It's contain all kind of literature in russian language. Philosophy, modern literature, ancient, poetry, detectives and fictions ofcourse too. Few years ago Russia was reading country nomber 1. But now, after all historical changes, wich have had after communist's goverment was displaced, literaure and publishing became less sensible for our life, and it's very pity. > and appreciate very much the honor of being included in > your project. As long as the Russian publishers have no objection to the use > of their translations of my work, I certainly have no problem with it. Thank you. I think, that good literature and good authors is main usefull things in all libraries. And I'm glad, that I can say, that Orson's Card book are here. My library have raiting - readers can estimate eraded book with 1 to 10 points, and "Enders game" have in it http://lib.ru/HITPARAD/hitparad.txt#5 22 estimates with average 8.8 (ofcourse, 279'th - it is not first place in raiting, but nearest places have books of our russian very good writers - Mihail Bulgakov, Strugatsky brosers, Mihail Veller, Sergej Dovlatov) Internet it's not so hide avalable in Russia - some near 2% of our peoples have internet connection (I head, that in America 30-40%) and any particular book have 0.5 - 20 visitors per day (it depends on how faimous is author) But there are some exclusions :) One month ago there was elections of President of Russia, and book with Putin's interview "Talks with Vladimir Putin" on my site gets 15,000 visitors during 4 days. > When it comes to the short stories, my primary concern is that the quality of > the translation be good. But, not speaking Russian, I'm unable to determine > this for myself. I can only trust that what you are putting up is a fair > representation of my work. Yes, I understand meaning of good translations. Jast now I had read only 2 your works - "Ender" and "Speaker" - I had buy as paper-book, and can say, that those translation is good and adequate. Also I'll try to check other files in my collection. It'll should be some time for it (I'll try to get printed version, reading from monitor is hard work for my eyes) In all case I'll keep only good translations. > Would you do me the favor of checking with me by email each time you acquire > a translation of one of my works, just so that we can keep a record of all Yes, obligatory. > such translations? It would help greatly if you could also provide the > Russian title and the name of the translator, where known, but transliterated > into Roman characters. This will help the archivists, and also will help me > in keeping track of what already exists. Igra Endera [trans.A.Kuzmin] "Ender's Game" Govoryashchij ot imeni mertvyh [trans.A.Kuzmin] "Speaker for the Dead" Iskuplenie Hristofora Kolumba [translated by pub.house "TERRA"] "Expiation of Chistofor Columb" Sedmoj syn [trans. Misha Sharaev (bum.shankar@newmail.net)] "The Seventh Son" SHORT TALES Tysyacha smertej "1000 deathes" Sonata bez soprovozhdeniya "Sonata" Oko za oko [trans.Alexander Korzhenevsy] "Uye for eye" > In the meantime, I would also like to trade links with you - to have you > provide a link to http://www.hatrack.com, and for me to link also to your Yes, I place this link to index page and into all filese in "your" directory > site, under teh name "Maksim Moshkow's Library", to the right page for > Russian-speaking readers to visit in order to see a catalogue of all the > works you make available on your site (including mine, of course). Can you > write back to tell me the website address you would like us to link to? Here it is Russian translations of Orson Scott Card http://lib.ru/INOFANT/CARD/ in Moshkow's library > And if there is a particular work or works of mine that you are interested in > looking at in English, please let me know. Do first version of "Ender" (when it was shot story) avalable on internet? Also - you know - I'm librarian. Any library tends to get as much book as it can :) Sorry, I'm interested in all good books in the world - firstly in russian, but on enlish languaches - too.