John Glad (December 31, 1941 – December 4, 2015)
was an American academic who specialized in the literature and politics of exile, especially
Russian literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...
. He also wrote about, and advocated for,
eugenics
Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...
.
Biography
John Glad was born in Gary, Indiana in a family of immigrants from
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
. His surname in Croatian means "hunger". "I am Ivan Hunger", he used to tell his Russian colleagues.
At age of 17 he began studying Russian
[Курьезное хобби](_blank)
// Независимая газета and spoke it fluently, which undoubtedly contributed to his marriage to Larisa, nee Romanova, whom he brought from
Saratov
Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901 ...
. He was known as a very good interpreter, and as such he was invited to interpret speeches of high-ranking people from Russia, including
Mikhail Gorbachev.
Glad received his MA from
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
* Indiana Univers ...
in 1964 for his thesis "Constance Garnett and David Magarshack as translators of Crime and punishment.", and his Ph.D. degree from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, ...
in 1970 for his thesis "Russian Soviet science fiction and related critical activity".
Academic work
Glad was a professor of Russian studies at the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...
, and had previously taught at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...
, the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, and the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...
. He was also the Director of the
Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies
The Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars was founded in 1974 to carry out studies of the Soviet Union ( Sovietology), and subsequently of post-Soviet Russia and other post-Soviet states. The institute is w ...
in the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...
, in Washington, D.C. (1982-1983), and a
Guggenheim Grant recipient (1981). He had written for ''
The Jewish Press
''The Jewish Press'' is an American weekly newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York, and geared toward the Modern Orthodox Jewish community. It describes itself as "America's Largest Independent Jewish Weekly".
''The Jewish Press'' has an online ...
'', ''
Mankind Quarterly'' and was interviewed for white nationalist publication ''
The Occidental Quarterly''. He was the translator from the Russian of ''The Black Book: The Ruthless Murder of Jews by German-Fascist Invaders Throughout the Temporarily-Occupied Regions of the Soviet Union and in the Death Camps of Poland During the War of 1941-1945.'', edited by
Ilya Erenburg
Ilya Grigoryevich Ehrenburg (russian: link=no, Илья́ Григо́рьевич Эренбу́рг, ; – August 31, 1967) was a Soviet writer, revolutionary, journalist and historian.
Ehrenburg was among the most prolific and notable autho ...
, and
Vasily Grossman.
History of eugenics
Glad wrote two books on the subject of
eugenics
Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...
. ''Future Human Evolution: Eugenics in the Twenty-First Century'' advanced humanistic arguments in favour of universal eugenics and has been translated into twelve languages.
His second book on the subject, ''Jewish Eugenics'' (2011) traced the interactions between Jewish thinkers and activists and eugenics.
Publications
Books
*Glad, John. 2006. ''Future Human Evolution: Eugenics in the Twenty-First Century''; preface by
Seymour Itzkoff. Schuylkill Haven, PA:
Hermitage Publishers
Hermitage, The Hermitage or L'Hermitage may refer to:
* Hermitage (religious retreat), a place of religious seclusion
Places
* The Hermitage Museum (est. 1754), in Saint Petersburg, Russia
* The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee), the estate ...
.
**translated into Russian as ''Budushchai︠a︡ ėvoli︠u︡t︠s︡ii︠a︡ cheloveka : evgenika XXI veka''
**Translated into Urdu as ''Mustaqbil kā insānī irtiqāʼ : ikkīsvīn̲ ṣadī men̲ ʻilm-i iṣlāḥ-i nauʻ-i insānī'',
*Glad, John. 2011. ''Jewish Eugenics''. Wooden Shore L.L.C., Washington, D.C.
*Glad, John. 1999. ''Russia Abroad: Writers, History, Politics.'' Tenafly, NJ: Hermitage & Birchbark Press.
***review, A. Brintlinger, ''Russian Review'' 59, Part 3 (2000): 453
***review, V. Terras, ''Slavic Review'' 62, Part 2 (2003): 423
***review, L. Dienes, ''Slavic and East European Journal'' 44, Part 4 (2000): 672-674
***review, W Coudenys, ''Russian History'' 27(2): (2000): 247-249
***review, A Rogachevskii, ''The Slavonic and East European Review,'' Apr., 2001, vol. 79, no. 2, p. 357-360
*Glad, John, and Daniel Weissbort. 1992.'' Twentieth-Century Russian Poetry.'' Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
*Glad, John. 1993. ''Conversations in Exile: Russian Writers Abroad''. Durham: Duke University Press.
***review, ''Slavonic and East European Review,'' Oct., 1994, vol. 72, no. 4, p. 723-724.
***review, '' Modern Language Review,'' Jan., 1995, vol. 90, no. 1, p. 271
***review, '' Slavic and East European Journal,'' Winter, 2000, vol. 44, no. 4, p. 672-675
*Glad, John. 1990. ''Literature in Exile.'' Durham: Duke University Press.
**review, ''SubStance,'' 1992, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 137-142
**review, '' Slavonic and East European Review,'' Jul., 1991, vol. 69, no. 3, p. 539
*Glad, John 1982 ''Extrapolations from dystopia : a critical study of Soviet science fiction'' Kingston Press, 1982
***review, ''Slavic Review,'' Spring, 1983, vol. 42, no. 1, p. 157-158
*Glad, John, and Daniel Weissbort. 1978. ''Russian Poetry, the Modern Period.'' Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
***review, '' Slavic and East European Journal,'' Autumn, 1979, vol. 23, no. 3, p. 407-408
***review, ''Modern Language Journal,'' Nov., 1979, vol. 63, no. 7, p. 388-389
Russian literature translations
*''Generations of Winter'', by
Vasily Aksenov
*''The Winter's Hero'', by Vasily Aksenov New York : Random House, c1996
*''Kolyma Tales'', by
Varlam Shalamov
Varlam Tikhonovich Shalamov (russian: Варла́м Ти́хонович Шала́мов; 18 June 1907 – 17 January 1982), baptized as Varlaam, was a Russian writer, journalist, poet and Gulag survivor. He spent much of the period from 1 ...
*''Poems'', by
Nikolai Klyuev
*''Graphite'', by Varlam Shalamov
References
External links
The John Glad Interviews - Conversations with Russian Writers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glad, John
Russian–English translators
American eugenicists
University of Maryland, College Park faculty
Rutgers University alumni
2015 deaths
1941 births
20th-century American translators