''Tiger Trappers'' ( uk, Тигролови, also translated as ''The Hunters and the Hunted'' and ''Tiger Catchers'') is an
adventure novel with the autobiographical elements from
Ivan Bagriany life, written and published in 1944 as "Animal Catchers" in the Evening Hour magazine in Lviv... The draft of the original text remained in Soviet Ukraine and after Bagriany removed to Germany in 1944–1946, he had completely restored the text from memory; this restored version was published in 1946 under the name of the ''Tiger Trappers'' at the "Prometheus" publishing house in
Neu-Ulm.
Separate editions of the novel were published abroad in 1946 (
Neu-Ulm) in 1955 (
Detroit), 1970 (
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
) (abbreviated version), 1991 (Detroit). The novel has also been translated and published in
English (1954),
Dutch (1959),
[Б. Плющ]
Особливості відтворення авторської метафорики роману Івана Багряного «Тигролови» в англомовному перекладі
// Мова і культура. — 2012. — Вип. 15, т. 2. — С. 296—303 German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(1961),
Russian (1992, abbreviated), and
Spanish (2006)
[Максим Балаклицький]
«Тигролови» Івана Багряного як український бестселер
// Наукові записки ХДПУ ім. Г. С. Сковороди: Серія Літературознавство. 2003. Вип. 3. стор. 112—116
American literary critic
Walter Gavighurst, in his review entitled "A Touching Story of Political Exile" for the
New York Herald Tribune
The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...
of February 10, 1957, described the novel as:"''This eloquent and exciting adventure story is an equally exciting pursuit of political freedom. It is a novel of chivalry and valor, unexpected wild themes in our grubby fiction.''"
[Stirring Tale of Political Exile](_blank)
// The Ukrainian Weekly, № 32 від 16 лютого 1957. стор. 1
History of writing and publishing
The work is based on autobiographical events: the expulsion of Bagrianiy to the Far East, in the
Gulag. Having escaped from the
NKVS milestone that transported Gulag prisoner sentenced to death to
Siberia. Bagraniy has lived in
Taiga for almost two years. And his character, Grygory Mnohohrishnyy, has absorbed many of the author's character traits
While in German-occupied Western Ukraine, hiding for some time from the
Gestapo in
Morshyn
Morshyn ( uk, Моршин, pl, Morszyn-Zdrój) is a small city located at the Eastern Carpathian Foothills within Ukraine's Stryi Raion, Lviv Oblast (region). It hosts the administration of Morshyn urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukrain ...
, Ivan Bagryany wrote the work in 14 days. The novel was based on his own bitter experience in the
taiga
The work was first published in 1944 in
Lviv magazine "Evening Hour" in an abbreviated form called "Beast Catchers". That same year, at the literary competition in Lviv, the novel was awarded with prize.
[Оксана Утріско]
«Тигролови» Івана Багряного та галицький пригодницький роман 30-х років ХХ століття: проблема актуалізації типологічного зіставлення
// Парадигма. 2011. Вип. 6. стор. 123—131
About the novel
Title
The title of the work is symbolic. Changing it from the original "Beast Catchers" to the ''Tiger Trappers'', Ivan Bagryaniy emphasized the story's highlights.
Tiger is one of the most powerful and dangerous wild animals. The Sirko family, living in unity with the surrounding nature, and moral strength of this family, representatives of the Ukrainian people, their ability to overcome the most difficult circumstances.
The plot
The storyline of the novel is built around two figures - Grygory and NKVS Major Medwin. Their duel is a struggle of man with the world of darkness and hell. The author, as an eyewitness, depicts terrible pictures of abuse of people, the humiliation of their human dignity, violence, condemnation to oblivion in the hell of
concentration camps.
The young man escapes from the echelon of death - and in hundreds of other prisoners the spirit rises, there is hope not for salvation, but for revenge on theirs tormentors. He wanders in the wilderness in search of rescue and a safe place - and rescues a hunter girl from an angry bear, even though he was on the verge of death from physical exhaustion. Grygory enjoys the hospitality of the Ukrainian Sirko family from Green Wedge — and becomes their son and brother, a hunting partner. He falls in love with Natalka, but hides his feelings so as not to put the girl in danger - and finally gives her the happiness of mutual love.
Main characters
* Grygory Mnohohrishnyy is a young
aviation engineer Aviation engineering is a branch of engineering which deals with airspace development, airport design, aircraft navigation technologies, and aerodrome planning. It also involves the formulation of public policy, regulations, aviation laws pertaining ...
. A descendant of the glorious Ukrainian hetman Demyan Mnohohgrishny. Sentenced to 25 years in prison, but escapes from the train, jumping into "certain death, but did not surrender. Ninety-nine chances against one were that he would die, but he jumped."
* Natalka Sirko — hunts no worse than her father, and catches fish in the river like no other.
* Grygory Sirko is a "hard-nosed, lumbering young man", a young, agile hunter committed to male friendship and family.
* Denis Sirko is an unwavering hunter, a true master of the taiga.
* Sirchikha - the hardworking wife of Denis, protects the comfort and warmth in the house.
* NKVS Major Medwin is a "professional tiger catcher" who goes in search of a fearless and desperate fugitive who has challenged the system itself.
Reception
The output of Bagriany's work caused a certain resonance in foreign criticism, and the total circulation of ''Tiger Trappers'' in foreign language translations exceeded one million copies.
[ Волиняк П.br>Письменницький успіх Івана Багряного]
// Нові дні. — 1959. — Ч. 110. — С. 23. The work itself received overwhelmingly favorable reviews and reviews from foreign literary critics. It has been highlighted as a Ukrainian literary classic to read.
Translations in other languages
Bagriany's novel ''Tiger Catchers'' has been translated into almost all major European languages, including English, Spanish, Dutch and German. Unfortunately, the translation of the novel in the last two languages was not done directly from the Ukrainian language, but was translated from the English edition of
Macmillan
MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to:
People
* McMillan (surname)
* Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan
* Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician
* James MacMillan, Scottish composer
* William Duncan MacMillan ...
.
The translation of the novel into Italian,
Danish
and other languages was also planned in the late 1950s.
* ''(
English)'' Ivan Bahrianyi. ''The Hunters and the Hunted.'' Translated from the Ukrainian:
George S. N. Luckyj
George Stephen Nestor Luckyj (born Юрій Луцький, transcribed: Yuriy Lutskyy; Yanchyn, now Ivanivka, Lviv Oblast, 1919 — Toronto, November 22, 2001) was a scholar of Ukrainian literature, who greatly contributed to the awareness of Uk ...
or S. Davidovich, A. Gregorovich;
[France, Peter.]
The Oxford guide to literature in English translation
Oxford : Oxford University Press. 2000. 656 p.: pp 221-222. foreword: Samuel Beatty. Toronto: Burns & MaCeachern. 1954 270 p.
*
''(reprint)'' Ivan Bahriany. ''The Hunters and the Hunted.'' Translated from the Ukrainian:
George S. N. Luckyj
George Stephen Nestor Luckyj (born Юрій Луцький, transcribed: Yuriy Lutskyy; Yanchyn, now Ivanivka, Lviv Oblast, 1919 — Toronto, November 22, 2001) was a scholar of Ukrainian literature, who greatly contributed to the awareness of Uk ...
. London: Macmillan; New York: St. Martin's Press. 1956. 244 p.
pdf
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* ''( Dutch)''. Iwan Bahrjany. ''Vlucht in de Taiga.'' Vertalen uit het Engels door: Peter van Wijk. Utrecht: Het Spectrum 1959. 189 p (Prisma-boeken, 392)
* ''(German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
)'' Iwan Bahriany. ''Das Gesetz der Taiga.'' Übersetzt von Englisch: Margreth von Kees. Köln/Graz: Verlag Styria. . 255 s. abbreviated version)
* ''( Russian)'' Иван Багряный. ''Тигроловы''. Перевод с украинского: Анатолий Горошко; рисунки Н. Байкова. Владивосток: Рубеж — Тихоокеанский альманах, 1992 No. 2 (с. 67–144) (abbreviated version)
* ''( Spanish)'' Ivan Bahrianyi. Cazadores de tigres (novela en dos tomos). Traducido al espanol por: Myxailo Vasylyk; : Volodymyr Vasylyk. Buenos Aires: Duken. 2006. 336 p. {{ISBN, 978-987-02-1925-5
References
1944 novels
Ukrainian novels