Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem

Subject: Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem
From: GUEST,Murray on Saltspring
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 06:55 PM

A long time ago I was at the University of Washington, Seattle, where we were studying Russian. Someone produced [from somewhere] a little mimeographed dictionary of Russian swear-words, with illustrative examples, quoting among other things a Russian obscene poem called "Luka Mudishchev". - This is now available in quite a few places, but I'm looking for (a) the dictionary, (b) the source of the translations therein. The bits of Luka were rendered into English rhyme, very successfully and amusingly. Any comments?

Subject: RE: Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem
From: GUEST,Kenny B Sans Kuki
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 07:00 AM

Im waiting with baited breath to speakit to some Russian friends keep the thread going

Subject: RE: Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 07:29 AM

I'd like to know too.

I'd also like to add a request. The poem in transliterated Russian is easily found. I have had less success in finding it
(a) in Cyrillic
(b) in English translation

Can anyone post links to both in this thread?

Thanks!

Bob

Subject: RE: Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem
From: and e
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 10:49 AM

From Legman's bibliography:

Luka Mudishchev. 1969. (at head: Ivan BARKOV.) 2e Isdanie. "Moskva: Izdatelstvo TSK-KLSS Gospolitizdat" [London School of Economics; Coulsdon, Surrey: Special Service, "Hexton House," Herts.] 80 pp., 32do (11 X 6.7 cm.). Aside from the title page ascription to Barkov (1732-68), this bawdy Russian ballad in the style of the sex-hate recitation "Eskimo Nell" is also attributed to Aleksandr Pushkin and more probably to Pushkin's successor in Byronic poetry, Mikhail Y. LERMONTOV (1814—41), who "wrote a fair quantity of obscene verse privately for his pals at the cadets' school when he was about 18." Text was apparently supplied by the Joint Services School for Linguistics, at Coulsdon, Surrey. Poem is first referred to in SPINKLER 1913, Gross-Russische erotische Volkdichtung. Anthropophytéia 10:353, q.v. The present vest-pocket edition produced as an exhibitionistic joke, to demonstrate the technical ability and matériel of the Allied Subversion and Sabotage propaganda services in London, on their purposeful "blowing of cover" after the Kim Philby espionage defection. It is a remarkable imitation of Soviet Government Printing House typography, using various sorts of Cyrillic type, satirically including phoney reviews from Pravda, Izvestia, etc., and faked publicity photos of high-ranking Russian political leaders and secret-service heads enthusiastically plugging the poem! Compare: Gregory-Boomer-Fouff; also KABRONSKY; KRAUSS; and SPINKLER.

Subject: RE: Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem
From: GUEST,Sloth
Date: 29 Jul 11 - 09:35 AM

I hadn't heard about this poem at the Joint Services School for Linguists, Coulsdon, which I attended from 1951 to 1952, but I bought a copy of a 'vest-pocket' edition corresponding to and e's description,at Foyles London bookshop in the early 1960s. It was issued by Flegon Press, the imprint of Alec Flegon, a rogue publisher who was persona non grata to the Soviets.

Alas, I subsequently lent my copy to someone, with the usual result. If anyone's ears are burning, please get in touch so I can retrieve my property. Otherwise let me know where another copy may be obtained.

Subject: RE: Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 29 Jul 11 - 04:01 PM

The poem is now easily googled, e.g. here (seven pages long). Have fun.

Subject: RE: Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 29 Jul 11 - 04:41 PM

Well, that takes care of one earlier request: the Russian poem in Cyrillic.

Now, does anyone know if there is an English translation available online? (I did a quick search earlier, but couldn't find one.)

Jay

Subject: RE: Luka Mudishchev - Russian bawdy poem
From: Artful Codger
Date: 29 Jul 11 - 08:57 PM

It's also here on a single page, with some notes on the text.