Posts Tagged ‘Anatoly Belilovsky’

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Cast of Wonders 360: Kulturkampf (Encore!)

Originally published in the Immersion Book of Steampunk from Immersion Press, UK, in 2011.

Previously aired as Cast of Wonders Episode 24 in February 2012, and selected as a Staff Pick by Barry J. Northern in 2013.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:23 — 16.3MB)

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Kulturkampf

by Anatoly Belilovsky

September 1, 1870

Most respected Feldmarschall von Moltke,

I wish to thank you for giving me the opportunity to put my theories to the test in the taking of Sedan. They were, of course, entirely correct, and our clear tactical victory I am happy to be reporting.

Die Grosse Bertha worked to perfection; we were able to play Bruckner’s Zero Symphony at half steam while the technicians adjusted all their valves and levers. Steamwinds worked perfectly on the first try, and though of course strings needed to be tuned, of the steam tympani there was never any doubt. I have perhaps been harsh on occasion in my estimation of Herr Bruckner’s work, but for making the listeners run away screaming I should say his symphonies are without rival.

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Cast of Wonders 112: Kulturkampf (Staff Pick 2013)

Originally published in the Immersion Book of Steampunk from Immersion Press, UK, in 2011.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:33 — 10.6MB)

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Show Notes

Barry’s staff pick is the story of war by music, “Kulturkampf”. I had tremendous fun working with Anatoly on picking the appropriate music for this story. It’s a very clever and entertaining steam-punkish tale of battling classical composers. And thanks also to Anatoly for suggesting his friend Hans Fenstermacher as narrator. Hans’ German pronunciation is prefect… unlike mine.

Kulturkampf

by Anatoly Belilovsky

September 1, 1870

Most respected Feldmarschall von Moltke,

I wish to thank you for giving me the opportunity to put my theories to the test in the taking of Sedan. They were, of course, entirely correct, and our clear tactical victory I am happy to be reporting.

Die Grosse Bertha worked to perfection; we were able to play Bruckner’s Zero Symphony at half steam while the technicians adjusted all their valves and levers. Steamwinds worked perfectly on the first try, and though of course strings needed to be tuned, of the steam tympani there was never any doubt. I have perhaps been harsh on occasion in my estimation of Herr Bruckner’s work, but for making the listeners run away screaming I should say his symphonies are without rival.

The French did put up some feeble resistance; approaching Sedan, I became aware of an odd syncopated rhythm off in the distance. Upon opening the window I was able to ascertain the nature of the music.

“Toreador!” I exclaimed. “The fools! They think to defeat me with Bizet!”

It is not yet time to unleash my the fruit of my genius, the Secret Weapon, as old and tried music is proving adequate to the task. Anton Bruckner has cleared the way to the French capital; I swore that I should only unleash a composition of mine own when I wish for the adversary to fall to his knees and surrender to its sublime harmonies on the spot, and Paris has witnessed many such occasions. My own procession under the Arc de Triomphe is some thirty years overdue, but should taste all the sweeter for that.
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Cast of Wonders 30: Karlsson

Cast of Wonders 30: Karlsson is a Cast of Wonders original.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:49 — 13.7MB)

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Show Notes

Anatoly told us, “In the original Swedish book by Astrid Lindgren, Karlsson is a more selfish, more obnoxious version of Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat, a negative character. The translation into Russian was wildly successful; without changing the literal meaning of a single sentence, it changed Karlsson into a hero. The cartoon provided an iconic image for Karlsson, and added several of the greatest voice talents of the last century. Karlsson became symbolic of the so-called ‘internal emigres’ – members of various suppressed counterculture movements.”

Here is a link to Part 1 of the original Karlsson cartoon. And here is one to the sequel that introduces Frekken Bock.

Karlsson

by Anatoly Belilovsky

“Where is Charlie?” I asked.

Lynne didn’t look up from her laptop. “Watching his stupid cartoons, I think,” she said.

“I’m going to work,” I said. “Night shift.”

“Bye,” she said.

She used to say, ‘Be careful.’
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Cast of Wonders 24: Kulturkampf

Originally published in the Immersion Book of Steampunk from Immersion Press, UK, in 2011.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:30 — 12.4MB)

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Show Notes

Anatoly Belilovsky is a Russian-American author and translator of speculative fiction. He was born in a city that went through six or seven owners in the last century, all of whom used it to do a lot more than drive to church on Sundays; he is old enough to remember tanks rolling through it on their way to Czechoslovakia in 1968. After being traded to the US for a shipload of grain and a defector to be named later (see Wikipedia, Jackson-Vanik amendment), he learned English from Star Trek reruns and went on to become a paediatrician in an area of New York where English is only the fourth most commonly used language.

His original work appeared or will appear in the Unidentified Funny Objects anthology, Ideomancer, Nature Futures, Stupefying Stories, Immersion Book of Steampunk, Daily SF, Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk, and Genius Loci anthology, and has been podcast by Cast of Wonders, Tales of Old, and Toasted Cake; his translations from Russian have sold to F&SF, Year’s Best SF #32 (edited by Gardner Dozois,) Grimdark, and Kasma. He blogs about writing at loldoc.net.

 

Hans Fenstermacher was born in front of the Iron Curtain in Munich, Germany. He grew up in the crosshairs of the Cold War in Berlin. With that kind of provenance, what else could he do but study Russian? Despite the tutelage (read: learning swearwords) from his T.A., Anatoly, and after a stint really deep behind the Iron Curtain in Leningrad, Hans managed to graduate with a degree in Russian. He went on to a lengthy career in localization (if you have to ask what it is, you don’t need it) and language-related exploits.

Kulturkampf

by Anatoly Belilovsky

September 1, 1870

Most respected Feldmarschall von Moltke,

I wish to thank you for giving me the opportunity to put my theories to the test in the taking of Sedan. They were, of course, entirely correct, and our clear tactical victory I am happy to be reporting.

Die Grosse Bertha worked to perfection; we were able to play Bruckner’s Zero Symphony at half steam while the technicians adjusted all their valves and levers. Steamwinds worked perfectly on the first try, and though of course strings needed to be tuned, of the steam tympani there was never any doubt. I have perhaps been harsh on occasion in my estimation of Herr Bruckner’s work, but for making the listeners run away screaming I should say his symphonies are without rival.

(Continue Reading…)