# литературные чтения



## Setwale_Charm

What exactly are these? I am racking my brians about possible translation which should come as close as possible so I need to fully understand.


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## Q-cumber

*Setwale_Charm*

Well, I'd say it is a radio program or a live perfomance where some book is being read aloud.


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## Maroseika

Q-cumber said:


> *Setwale_Charm*
> 
> Well, I'd say it is a radio program or a live perfomance where some book is being read aloud.


No, that's something different. 
That's a kind of the literature parties, usually participated by the writers themsleves, which specificity is better understandable from the context:
http://search.ruscorpora.ru/?mycorp...E5%F0%E0%F2%F3%F0%ED%FB%E5+%F7%F2%E5%ED%E8%FF
http://search.ruscorpora.ru/?mycorp...E5%F0%E0%F2%F3%F0%ED%FB%F5+%F7%F2%E5%ED%E8%E9


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## Q-cumber

Another quote:

* Радио России "Санкт-Петербург": *



> *"Литературные чтения"*
> Программа выходит в эфир каждый будний день в 11:30
> 
> _Чаще всего это радиосериал из пяти или 10 частей по произведениям русских или зарубежных авторов.Известные артисты: Иван Краско, Сергей Дрейден, Андрей Толубеев, Александр Лыков, Лиана Жвания и другие читают в нашем эфире русскую классику и современную, так называемую "серьезную" литературу. _ Каждую последнюю неделю месяца в рамках программы "Литературные чтения" звучит передача "Библиофил" - лучшие литературоведческие статьи писателей прошлого и настоящего.
> 
> Среди наших последних премьер "История одного города" М.Е.Салтыкова-Щедрина, радиосериал по роману "Третье дыхание" известного петербургского писателя Валерия Попова, а также передача "Библиофил": Юрий Лотман. Из бесед о русской культуре.


However, I agree with Maroseika, that originally "Литературные чтения" were somewhat private parties, usually organized in Russian aristocrats' houses and participated by the writers themsleves.


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## Maroseika

Well, I'm not sure the name of that radio show is indicative: its name seems to me used figuratively.
My search in the internet shows that this term is very widely used in its direct sense even nowadays.
What's really mostly meant , however, we may know only from the special investigation. My feeling is that it's still not just reading the books by radio or TV, the more so that such genre is rather rare now.


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## Brian P

Q-cumber said:


> Another quote:
> 
> ... and participated by the writers themsleves.


 
A small correction, amigo. It should be, "in which the writers themselves participated".

Brian


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## Q-cumber

Thanks, Brian, for your correction. Frankly speaking, I just lazily "copy-pasted" *Maroseika *'s words. 

*Maroseika*
I dare say I need no extra investigation to answer the question, because I know the meaning of the collocation very well. In fact, the word "чтения" alone is enough to get the clue. It means "Собрание, на котором выступают чтецы" (ref. Russian Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova) /A meeting in which reciters <ones who read aloud> participate/. An adjective "Литературные" just ephasizes that readings are
related to literature. This collocation isn't an idiom and can be used in any appropriate case.


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## Setwale_Charm

OK, so now I am working on finding the most convenient equivalent for that in English.


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## Maroseika

Brian P said:


> A small correction, amigo. It should be, "in which the writers themselves participated".
> 
> Brian


What's a pity! I hoped this verb was transitive...


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## Setwale_Charm

Maroseika said:


> What's a pity!


 
What a pity!


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## Brian P

Maroseika said:


> What's a pity!


 
It should be "What a pity!", Maroseika.  "What's a pity?" is a question asking for the definition of "pity".


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## Maroseika

Q-cumber said:


> I dare say I need no extra investigation to answer the question, because I know the meaning of the collocation very well. In fact, the word "чтения" alone is enough to get the clue. It means "Собрание, на котором выступают чтецы" (ref. Russian Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova) /A meeting in which reciters <ones who read aloud> participate/. An adjective "Литературные" just ephasizes that readings are
> related to literature. This collocation isn't an idiom and can be used in any appropriate case.


Sorry for my verbalism, but explanation of Yefremofa you have cited is only the second meaning of the word "чтения". The first (i.e. the main) one is: 
*Собрание, на котором заслушивается цикл докладов.(Meeting in which the reports are listened to).*
Therefore specification "литературные" is quite in its place.
But even the second explanation is too far from any kind of "a radio program or a live perfomance".
That is why I think the name of the radio programm you have mentioned, is figurative, and in that way associating with something like "Пушкинские чтения".
Also, compare with Ozhegov's versions:

3. обычно мн. Собрание, на к-ром читают вслух (устар.). _Литературные чтения. _
4. мн. Цикл лекций или докладов в память выдающегося учёного, писателя. _Ломоносовские чтения в университете._


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## Maroseika

Brian P said:


> It should be "What a pity!", Maroseika. "What's a pity?" is a question asking for the definition of "pity".


Thank you, Brian.


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## Q-cumber

Maroseika said:


> Sorry for my verbalism, but explanation of Yefremofa you have cited is only the second meaning of the word "чтения". The first (i.e. the main) one is:
> *Собрание, на котором заслушивается цикл докладов.(Meeting in which the reports are listened to).*
> Therefore specification "литературные" is quite in its place.
> But even the second explanation is too far from any kind of "a radio program or a live perfomance".
> That is why I think the name of the radio programm you have mentioned, is figurative, and in that way associating with something like "Пушкинские чтения".
> Also, compare with Ozhegov's versions:
> 
> 3. обычно мн. Собрание, на к-ром читают вслух (устар.). _Литературные чтения. _
> 4. мн. Цикл лекций или докладов в память выдающегося учёного, писателя. _Ломоносовские чтения в университете._



Well, I never offered to omit the adjective "литературные".  It is in the place, indeed. As to the rest, I don't see any contradictions with my previous posts in your message. Of course, "literary readings" dedicated to a particular author are often named by his name - "пушкинские чтения", "грибоедовские чтения", etc. So what? Don't you think that Pushkin himself, as writer, participates in such events? (Just kidding! )  "Ломоносовские чтения" isn't the case, because he was a scientist, not a writer. That makes the difference.  

Here below is my definition again (amended): ....it is a radio or TV program or a live performance in which some books (literary works)  are being read aloud, either by authors themselves or by readers. What is wrong with it?


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## Maroseika

Q-cumber said:


> Of course, "literary readings" dedicated to a particular author are often named by his name - "пушкинские чтения", "грибоедовские чтения", etc. So what? Don't you think that Pushkin himself, as writer, participates in such events? (Just kidding! ) "Ломоносовские чтения" isn't the case, because he was a scientist, not a writer. That makes the difference.
> 
> 
> 
> These are exactly that are meant in the Ozhegov's # 4: readings in memory of a scientist or a writer, and therefore have nothing to do with our case.
> 
> 
> 
> Here below is my definition again (amended): ....it is a radio or TV program or a live performance in which some books (literary works) are being read aloud, either by authors themselves or by readers. What is wrong with it?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I am still not sure it's possible to applicate this word combination to anything like "Театр у микрофона", i.e. reading the books in the radio.
> *Собрание, на котором читают вслух* - this is the only possible explanation of the term литературные чтения in our case. I took this explanation from the recent dictionary (2006), and don't see why should we widen its significance.
> I'm ready to admit it is widening nowadays, but my superficial internet review doesn't confirm such assumption.
> Maybe 5-10-15 years later, who knows...
Click to expand...


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## Setwale_Charm

OK,I think you`ve got sufficiently far away from my original question so since nobody has anything to say to the matter, I am thanking all for their contribution to close the thread.


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## Carrie2

Setwale Charm, as an English translation don't you like _literary readings_??


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## cyanista

You could use_ dramatic readings_ or _public readings_, too. What is your problem exactly? Have you got too many possible translations at your disposal? Are they all too imprecise to your liking?


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## Setwale_Charm

The problem is not translation as such. The problem is that I have not got much experience with that in English or Russian either and I was not sure whether there was not some sort of cliche for such events.


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