Translation and the Making of Modern Russian Literature - (Literatures, Cultures, Translation) by Brian James Baer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Brian James Baer explores the central role played by translation in the construction of modern Russian literature. Peter I's policy of forced Westernization resulted in translation becoming a widely discussed and highly visible practice in Russia, a multi-lingual empire with a polyglot elite. Yet Russia's accumulation of cultural capital through translation occurred at a time when the Romantic obsession with originality was marginalizing translation as mere imitation. The awareness on the part of Russian writers that their literature and, by extension, their cultural identity were "born in translation" produced a sustained and sophisticated critique of Romantic authorship and national identity that has long been obscured by the nationalist focus of traditional literary studies.

By offering a re-reading of seminal works of the Russian literary canon that thematize translation, alongside studies of the circulation and reception of specific translated texts, Translation and the Making of Modern Russian Literature models the long overdue integration of translation into literary and cultural studies.

Review Quotes

"In an elegant series of micro-narratives, Brian Baer exposes the flash points of modern Russian literary history. Translation becomes a key to the misconnections and dissonances that mark Russia's changing literary relations with the West-from the passionate ideals of the 19th century Decembrists to the uncertainties of the post-Soviet era. It is a pleasure to be in Baer's company: he is an erudite and stylish guide, with a keen eye for paradox." --Sherry Simon, Professor of French Studies, Concordia University, Canada, and author of Cities in Translation: Intersections of Language and Memory

"A very interesting and timely book that simultaneously addresses at least three overlapping but significantly different audiences: those who are interested in translation history in general and Russian translation history in particular, the siren call of Romantic nationalism, and sexuality and gender." --Douglas Robinson, Chair Professor of English, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong

"The advantage of Baer's approach here is that it offers rereadings of canonical literary works and popular works in which the Romantic national framing of literary studies is exposed, deliberately mystifying its own origins in translational and intercultural exchange, and shown to be inadequate to the problems of multilingualism, subjectivity, and identity engaged by Russian literature, enabling a decentering of the usual narratives of national literary development ... [T]here are challenging and sophisticated interpretive insights at every turn, and a sustained engagement with the problematic Romantic national literary paradigm, particularly as it applies to the hierarchical binaries of original/translation and author/translator." --Slavic Review

"Baer's book is a good bibliographical resource for scholars in Russian and translation studies, and his chapter on Wilde is an excellent commentary on the intersection of culture, sexuality, translation, and politics in contemporary Russia." - Modern Philology

"Engaging, coherent and thought provoking, this book balances translation studies with literary criticism, socio-political commentary with text-based analysis. As is Baer's own hope, it will likely be of interest to Slavists and translation scholars alike." - Forum for Modern Language Studies

About the Author

Brian James Baer is Professor of Russian and Translation Studies at Kent State University, USA. He is the author of Other Russias: Homosexuality and the Crisis of Post-Soviet Identity, which was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011, and the editor or co-editor of five books, including Russian Writers on Translation. An Anthology (co-edited with Natalia Olshanskaya, 2013). He is the Founding Editor of the journal Translation and Interpreting Studies.