![Signature of Mary Hobson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Signature_of_Mary_Hobson.JPG)
Mary Hobson (1926–2020) was a British writer, poet and translator. She wrote four novels and an autobiography. She translated
Alexander Griboedov
Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (russian: Александр Сергеевич Грибоедов, ''Aleksandr Sergeevich Griboedov'' or ''Sergeevich Griboyedov''; 15 January 179511 February 1829), formerly romanized as Alexander Sergueevich Gr ...
's ''
Woe from Wit
''Woe from Wit'' (, also translated as "The Woes of Wit", "Wit Works Woe", ''Wit's End'', and so forth) is Alexander Griboyedov's comedy in verse, satirizing the society of post-Napoleonic Moscow, or, as a high official in the play styled it, "a ...
'' and his letters. Hobson also translated works by
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
. She won the Griboedov Prize and Pushkin Medal.
Personal life
Hobson married a stage designer named Neil, and together they had four children. At 25 years of age he developed a cerebral abscess which left him debilitated on the right side of his body and speechless. Her husband became very difficult to live with and Mary Hobson left him in her 60s. Her son, Matthew, stayed with his father to prevent his mother from returning to him.
Matthew died during a motorcycle accident about 1999, which was very difficult, but she based her philosophy of managing her grief on
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...
quote: "What we cannot bear removes us from life." Rather than living less, she chose to do more, including writing poetry about him.
She is an
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
who lives in South London, writes poetry and travels to Moscow each year.
[Caroline Scott. ''A Day in the life: Mary Hobson.'' The Sunday Times. 30 November 2003.]
Hobson studied at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
in London, England.
["February News: Gazprom School Welcomes Mary Hobson."](_blank)
Gazprom School. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
Career
While her husband underwent musical therapy, about the age of 40, Hobson wrote her first of four novels, the first three published by
Heinemann Press.
She studied Russian
at 56 so that she could read the original version of
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's ''
War and Peace
''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...
'', a book that had been a gift to her by her daughter to read while recovering from a surgery and one that she felt she would not truly understand until she read the original Russian version. Her first teacher was a Russian emigree,
Tatiana Borisovna Behr, who inspired an interest in
Aleksander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
, starting with ''
The Bronze Horseman
The ''Bronze Horseman'' (russian: link=no, Медный всадник, literally "copper horseman") is an equestrian statue of Peter the Great in the Senate Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was opened to the public on 7 (18) August ...
''.
At 62, she enrolled at London University in the
School of Slavonic and East European Studies
The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES ) is a school of University College London (UCL) specializing in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. It teaches a range of subjects, including the history ...
.
During the
politically turbulent year of 1991, she studied Russian language and literature in Moscow and lived in a hostel.
She graduated while still in her 60s.
Hobson translated
Alexander Griboedov
Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (russian: Александр Сергеевич Грибоедов, ''Aleksandr Sergeevich Griboedov'' or ''Sergeevich Griboyedov''; 15 January 179511 February 1829), formerly romanized as Alexander Sergueevich Gr ...
's ''
Woe from Wit
''Woe from Wit'' (, also translated as "The Woes of Wit", "Wit Works Woe", ''Wit's End'', and so forth) is Alexander Griboyedov's comedy in verse, satirizing the society of post-Napoleonic Moscow, or, as a high official in the play styled it, "a ...
'',
which was published in 2005 and the subject of her doctoral thesis. Subsequently, she translated Griboedov's letters, some of which she said were very scandalous.
She received her PhD at 74 years of age.
Her translation of ''Evgenii Onegin'' by Alexander Pushkin was published as an audiobook, narrated by Neville Jason.
[Sue Arnold]
''Sue Arnold's audiobook choice – review: Evengii Onegin''.
The Guardian. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2014. She translated what was deemed a "mathematically impossible" poem to translate, including the declaration of Onegin, heir to his dying uncle's estate, when asked to visit him:
In Russia she was considered a Pushkin expert.
["Later Life Linguist: Mary Hobson."](_blank)
Saturday Life. ''BBC Radio 4.'' 5 May 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2014. She presented her translation of "Evgenii Onegin" 16 February 2012 at
Moscow State Pedagogical University
Moscow State Pedagogical University or Moscow State University of Education is an educational and scientific institution in Moscow, Russia, with eighteen faculties and seven branches operational in other Russian cities. The institution had underg ...
and has presented at educational conferences in Russia and Europe.
By 2003, she began to study ancient Greek.
As of March 2014, Hobson, in her late 80s, continues to take on new projects.
Hobson won the bi-centenary Griboedov prize for the best translation of
Alexander Griboedov
Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov (russian: Александр Сергеевич Грибоедов, ''Aleksandr Sergeevich Griboedov'' or ''Sergeevich Griboyedov''; 15 January 179511 February 1829), formerly romanized as Alexander Sergueevich Gr ...
's ''
Woe from Wit
''Woe from Wit'' (, also translated as "The Woes of Wit", "Wit Works Woe", ''Wit's End'', and so forth) is Alexander Griboyedov's comedy in verse, satirizing the society of post-Napoleonic Moscow, or, as a high official in the play styled it, "a ...
'' in London in 1995,
the Pushkin medal, awarded by the Association of Creative Unions in Moscow
and in 2010 "The Enthusiast Award" by the New Millennium Foundation. In 2011 she won the Podvizhnik Prize in Moscow.
In 2015, Hobson's fourth novel, completed in the 1980s, was published, together with an autobiography. This was followed in 2017 by a book on the last seven years of Pushkin's life told exclusively through Dr Hobson's translations of his poems and letters.
Hobson died in 2020.
Works
;Novels
* Mary Hobson. ''This Place Is a Madhouse.'' William Heinemann, 1980.
* Mary Hobson. ''Oh Lily.'' William Heinemann Ltd, 1981.
* Mary Hobson. ''Poor Tom.'' David & Charles Publishers, 1982.
* Mary Hobson. ''Promenade.'' Thorpewood Publishing, 2015.
;Translations of Russian literature
* Mary Hobson; Aleksandr Sergeyevich Griboyedov. ''Aleksandr Griboedov's Woe from wit: a commentary and translation''. Edwin Mellen Press; 2005. .
* Mary Hobson; Alexander Pushkin. ''Evgenii Onegin: A New Translation by Mary Hobson''.
* Mary Hobson; Alexander Pushkin. "Friendship of Love." In ''Love Poems''. Alma Classics Ltd, 2013.
* Mary Hobson; Alexander Pushkin. ''Eugene Onegin.''Anthem Press, 2016
; Non-Fiction
* Mary Hobson. ''The Feast. An autobiography'' Thorpewood Publishing, 2015
* Mary Hobson. ''After Onegin. The last seven years in the poems and letters of Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin.'' Thorpewood Publishing, 2017
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobson, Mary
1926 births
2020 deaths
English translators
English women non-fiction writers
Russian–English translators