ASTANA – Karagandy Region’s language teaching center translated the world-famous bestseller “The Hoods” by Harry Grey into Kazakh as part of the project aimed at translating world literature into the Kazakh language, the regional akimat (city administration) reported.
Photo credit: Karagandy Region’s akimat (city administration)
The autobiography is based on the gangster experiences of Grey, whose real name was Herschel Goldberg. It describes the life path of friends who come from New York city’s poor immigrant neighborhoods and try to survive and find their place in a society where lawlessness and unemployment are at the forefront. First published in 1952, it inspired Italian film director Sergio Leone to make the film “Once Upon A Time In America.”
Smailova signs a book during presentation. Photo credit: Karagandy Region’s akimat (city administration)
Rymbala Smailova, a veteran of journalism, was a translator. “In his autobiographical novel, Harry Grey depicted people’s real lives in the early 20th-century United States: poverty, general lawlessness and gangster groups. The translation was not so complicated, the storyline was interesting and the book was full of dialogue. I translated it with great interest,” said Smailova.
The center’s specialists have also translated “The Hoods” and “The Godfather” by Francis Ford Coppola as part of the project.
