The most interesting portion of Pilniak's works are no doubt his
longer stories of "Soviet life" written since 1921. Unfortunately
they are practically untranslatable. His proceedings, imitated from
Bely and Remizov, would seem incongruous to the English reader, and
the translation would be laid aside in despair or in disgust, in
spite of all its burning interest of actuality. None of the stories
included in this volume belong to this last manner of Pilniak's, but
in order to give a certain idea of what it is like I will attempt a
specimen-translation of the beginning of his story _The Third
Metropolis_ (dated May-June 1922), reproducing all his typographical
mannerisms, which are in their turn reproduced rather unintelligently,
from his great masters, Remizov and Bely. The story, by the way, is
dedicated "To A. M. Remizov, the Master in whose Workshop I
was an apprentice."
THE THIRD METROPOLIS
CHAPTER I
NOW OPEN
By the District Department for Popinstruct [Footnote: That is
"District Department for popular instruction"--in "Russian,"
_Uotnarobraz_.] provided with every commodity.
--BATHS--
(former Church school in garden) for public use with capacity to
receive 500 persons in an 8-hour working-day.
Hours of baths:
Monday--municipal children's asylums (free)
Tuesdays, Friday, Saturday--males
Wednesday, Thursday--females
Price for washing
adults--50kop.
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