Jasmine Alexander-Greene, 2022 Peter K. Jansen Memorial Virtual Travel Fellow (Russian)

Jasmine Alexander-Greene's path to literary translation, much like her path to all things Russian-related, was a matter of happy coincidence. A language instructor at Duke University introduced her to fellow translator Dr. Carol Apollonio, who later became Jasmine's mentor. Dr. Apollonio's course on theory and practice served as a gateway to the translating life. Years later, with hard work and the generous assistance of colleagues, including Anne O. Fisher and Nora Favorov, she is proud to call herself part of the literary translation community.

Having no familial or cultural ties to Russia, Jasmine's entire journey has been one of discovery. Literary translation has been an invaluable tool in getting to know her host culture(s) better— whether reading the work of forebears or producing material herself.  

As an area specialist, Jasmine has examined Russia and Eurasia through many lenses—history, politics, economics, culture, and of course language and literature—and that is reflected in her projects. She is fascinated by leader cults, life-writing, magic realism, Soviet/Russian history, and folklore, and it is no coincidence that some of these subjects appear in the works she translates: her first published translation, of Ivan Shipnigov's short story “Mausoleum” (Мавзолей), involves Lenin reanimating, escaping his mausoleum, and being shocked by the Moscow he now finds himself in.

While not an activist, Jasmine seeks to contribute to a body of Russian literature that transcends stereotypes of long-windedness and difficulty. She gravitates toward works that cut across genre, high/lowbrow, or ideological lines. (Bonus points if they are playful and weird.) The potential for translated works to help humanize another culture—something especially critical in the present moment—is also important to her.

Jasmine is currently working on a collection of Soviet campfire tales by legendary cartoonist Askold Akishin, a graphic novella about the death of Pushkin by Vitaly Terletsky (also illustrated by Akishin), and an experimental novel by Aleksandr Ilianen. She has also completed samples from A Certain Boy, 101 microfiction stories by poet Vitaly Pukhanov, for which she was awarded a 2022 ALTA Travel Fellowship.

Originally published in 2017, the "incidences" of A Certain Boy follow a gaggle of anonymous girls and boys as they wend their way through life situations, helped or hindered by equally anonymous good and evil wizards. They are at once specific and universal in scope: though there are nods here and there to Russian fatalism, literature, and historical personalities, their main task is exploring the nature of love, sobriety, good and evil, connection, art, and the individual's place in history, among other things. Mr. Pukhanov is clear-eyed about humanity's follies but also celebrates its triumphs, its resilience, and its boundless creativity. His microfiction is also defiantly humorous. A Certain Boy disarms the ugly aspects of the Soviet past and Russian present by poking fun at them and wraps bitter life truths in a sweet punchline.

Jasmine is grateful to ALTA for the opportunity to attend this year's hybrid programming and share her translations of Pukhanov's anecdotes.