Information about the author:

Abstract:

This article examines one aspect of Russian reception of the work of the late French Romantic Auguste Villiers de l’Isle-Adam. The author focuses on Russian translations of the drama “L’Évasion” that were published in the first quarter of the 20th century. Somewhat unexpected within the writer’s oeuvre, this unpretentious play enjoyed the greatest popularity among French audience. The drama was published in Russia three times with different titles: “Svoboda” (“Freedom”, translation by N. S. and Mire , 1909), “Probuzhdenie” (“Awakening”, translation by I. Ardenin [I.E. Spivak], 1915), and “Osvobozhdenie” (“Liberation”, translation by S. Polyakov, 1920). The article discusses the circumstances of publication, the conditions under which each translation was created, and their artistic features. In particular, it analyzes discrepancies in titles and the rendering of stylistically substandard vocabulary, the use of which is an important characteristic of the original work. It is concluded that N.G. Chulkova and Mire found the most successful balance between closeness to the source and the organic nature of the Russian text. I. Ardenin, adapting the drama for the stage, significantly shortened the text; S. Polyakov, on the contrary, sought to adhere as closely as possible to the original, which led to the emergence of literalisms. The attention paid to Villiers de l’Isle-Adam’s work by publishers and translators indicates that the image of the French writer has entered the cultural horizon of a relatively wide audience.

Keywords: Auguste Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, Russian-French literary relations, literary translation, N. Chulkova, Mire, I. Ardenin, S. Polyakov.