"Hero of our time" as translated by V. Nabokov
The article deals with V. Nabokov’s translation of M. Lermontov’s “Hero of Our Time” made in 1958. The author begins with describing Nabokov’s literalist approach, including some assertions made in the preface to the translation in question. It is followed by an analysis of the translation itself, which is carried out from two perspectives. Firstly, the translation is verified by Nabokov’s own criteria; secondly, the translation is analysed from a standpoint of functional stylistics and translation studies. The former analysis proves Nabokov’s inconsistency, as in several cases his translation contradicts his own theoretical principles. The latter one shows that Nabokov-translator fails to distinguish between individual (occasional) and common (trite) linguistic means, which leads to the distortion of individual style of the original text.