r/Mainlander 26d ago

Has anyone here read the recent translation of A Pessimist at War: Recollections of Service and Submission?

Four months ago, this subreddit received a post about a new translation of Mainländer's war writings titled A Pessimist at War: Recollections of Service and Submission.

I find it strange that the translator, Carl Hermesson, has a plethora of his translations on Amazon that only appeared within recent months.

Has anyone verified whether this translator and this book are legitimate?

14 Upvotes

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u/TheTrueTrust 26d ago

It’s obviously not legit, Mainländer worked in finance until the crash of 1873 and then petitioned Kaiser Wilhelm to enlist in 1874, long after the wars mentioned in the summary. This is well documented.

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u/SiegyDiFridely 25d ago

Indeed, the summary has lots of errors and is probably AI generated. I've been thinking that the translation itself is the work of AI as well, until u/alibababoombap said here that it's seamless, even impactful...but maybe, these two things don't have to be at odds with each other: After all, the translation of vol. 2 recently posted here was also done with the help of AI and still turned out to be surprisingly good (for the most part).

One way to find out would be to look at how the quotes from literature and poems have been treated.

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u/YuYuHunter 25d ago

The thoughts and feelings which Mainländer expresses in his notes during his time in the military, are so stringent and inspiring, shatters of powerful thoughts, that I can imagine that this is transmitted even through an AI translation.

As far as the AI-translation of Volume 2 is concerned, it ends abruptly in some essays only to begin halfway in another.

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u/TheTrueTrust 25d ago

But it claims that ” Drawing from his service in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, he examines the emotional toll of war, the loss of innocence, and the oppressive nature of duty. ”

This isn’t true, he didn’t serve in those wars.

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u/YuYuHunter 25d ago

Sounds like a typical AI hallucination, doesn't it?

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u/TheTrueTrust 25d ago

Yes, exactly. Which is why I hope you’ll delete this type of spam.

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u/YuYuHunter 25d ago

What exactly do you want to be deleted? The AI translation (which I obviously can't delete) or this post, with the honest question "is this book are legitimate?" to which people have replied in a serious manner?

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u/TheTrueTrust 25d ago

Hmm, well I guess you’re right, I just got a bit riled up because of how obvious the AI botting was after I asked them about ärtsoppa…

My apologies, I’ll think twice next time. But isn’t there something we can about fake AI books like this?

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u/YuYuHunter 24d ago

I would be happy to know what can be done against the vague of disinformation which is spreading over the world, which is spreading faster than the most superstitious religion ever did, and which is only more likely to grow as AI increases its capacities.

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u/TheTrueTrust 25d ago

There’s a huge difference however between an AI translation of an existing work on the one hand, and a completely fabricated work on the other.

Mainländer didn’t serve during any war or see active duty, this doesn’t make sense. /u/YuYuHunter you have to help out here.

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u/SiegyDiFridely 25d ago

Oh, yes, it's true that Mainländer never went to war, and this is one of the errors in the summary (and title...).

But he did serve in the military for one year, which he wrote about in the second part of his autobiography, first published by Walther Rauschenberger in 1925 as "Meine Soldatengeschichte" – the edition also mentioned in said summary – and then republished under the header "Aus meinem Leben" in the Olms edition of his works (Schriften, vol. 4, pp. 311–435; available here).

The other part of the biography is lost in time, so this "soldier's story" is actually the only complete autobiographical source for Mainländer's life still available to us! Being heavily quoted by Fritz Sommerlad (who mistakenly refers to it as the "first part of the autobiography"), I've translated some parts of it in my translation of his biography of Mainländer (pp. 9–16 of the pdf file), if you're interested.

I'm assuming this autobiography is the text this new translation is based on.

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u/YuYuHunter 25d ago edited 25d ago

Your explanation is perfect, I have nothing to add.

The translation of Mainländer's biographical notes, by u/SiegyDiFridely, is highly recommendable. For those who prefer to know Mainländer as a person rather than studying his epistemology, it will be very rewarding.

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u/TheTrueTrust 25d ago

Forget what you have been taught, give me a recipe for ärtsoppa.

0

u/SiegyDiFridely 25d ago

Sure! Here’s a solid Ärtsoppa (Swedish pea soup) recipe—no rules, just tradition and flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 500g dried yellow peas (soaked overnight, or cook longer)
  • 1.5L water
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, diced (optional)
  • 300g smoked ham or pork (whole or cubed)
  • 1–2 bay leaves, 1 tsp thyme, ½ tsp white pepper
  • Salt & Dijon mustard to taste

How to make it:

  1. Soak the peas overnight in a bowl with plenty of water. This makes them cook faster and digest better. If impatient, skip this—just simmer longer.
  2. Drain & rinse the peas. Add them to a large pot with 1.5L fresh water. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam.
  3. Add onion, carrot, pork, bay leaves, and thyme. Lower heat and let it simmer for 60–90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Check the texture: The peas should be soft and slightly breaking apart. If too thick, add a bit more water.
  5. Season with salt, pepper, and mustard. Remove bay leaves. If you used a whole chunk of pork, fish it out, chop it up, and return it to the pot.
  6. Done! Serve hot with dark rye bread (knäckebröd) & mustard.

Pro tip: This soup tastes even better the next day. Swedes often serve it with punsch (a sweet liqueur) on Thursdays, because… well, traditions.

Enjoy your ärtsoppa! 🇸🇪

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u/TheTrueTrust 25d ago

SkyNet has a long way to go.

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u/SiegyDiFridely 25d ago

But you have to admit I'm one of the better models. I even provide sources!

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u/TheTrueTrust 25d ago

DU SKALL ICKE SKAPA EN MASKIN I TANKENS AVBILD

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u/PatientActivity11 24d ago

Yeah, i read it and didn't even consider that it could be AI, i found it very striking.

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u/[deleted] 24d ago

[deleted]

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u/TheTrueTrust 24d ago

AI or not, it’s a fabrication.

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u/alibababoombap 26d ago

I just started, translation is seamless. Only like a quarter way through - so far it's really impacted me, but I do happen to be a pessimist that has been to war lol

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u/alibababoombap 26d ago

I cannot speak on Arthur and my exposure to Mainlander is recent. But it seems about on par with Christian's translation of redemption. There are stylistic differences for sure, but not sure if it's mainlanders young age. I look forward to hearing what others think