Directing theater is much like translating literature, isn't it? Interpreting the playwright's words, first to the actors, and through them (along with costume and set designers) to the audience. You only get one pass to sell the message to each audience, which makes it especially tough.

Literature set in different times and places demands more of a reader's imagination, and when the differences between the setting and the reader's world become extreme, they may get lost. One thing I like about my Kindle (which I seldom use, preferring "real" books) is that I can tap on words, for instance to find out what a troika is.

Pushkin makes the time-translation enjoyable for the reader. For instance, I love his commentary on Russian highways, which he predicts will someday be smooth and span the country. He observes how inns (with bad food) and shops repairing cartwheels (at inflated rates) spring up near the roughest parts of every road.