Despite Ostrovsky’s high stature in Russian letters he has fared relatively poorly in English translation. Much of the translation was done before World War Two, and for that we are largely indebted to George Rapall Noyes (1873-1952), an eminent American Slavicist and strong champion of Ostrovsky. Since World War Two there have been scattered translations of Ostrovsky, but some of his worthy plays have not yet been translated into English.
Some appreciations are in order. To my ex-wife Nancy and Robert M. Slusser, former colleague at Johns Hopkins, for their encouragement when it was most needed. To Dorothy Magner and my son Christopher, whose suggestions and corrections improved the translation. And to the Johns Hopkins University for a special grant, which helped me to finish the basic project.
N.H.