UDC

Authors

Abstract

The paper provides a brief outline of the literary situation in Russia at the turn of the 19th century, when Scandinavian authors enjoyed enormous popularity in the country. Major prominent Danish writers of that period are named, who became famous not only at home but also in many European countries (Herman Bang, Henrik Pontoppidan, Karin Michaëlis, Johannes Jensen). The article describes the creative work of the early twentieth century Danish writer Otto Rung and analyzes his publications in Russia and Russian critics’ response to them, as well as looks at reviews of his famous novel A Procession of Shadows and the reasons for its failure in Russia. In his works, Rung brought up the issues of the relationship between the man and the machine, which at that point were new for Russian readers and little discussed. His first publications were disregarded by the reading public. In time, the interest for Otto Rung started to grow; however, the first volume of his collected works published by “Sovremennye problemy” turned out to be his last publication in Russia. Up to date, his literary heritage has not been republished. This paper aimed to identify the reasons why this work of Danish literature, popular at that time, was rejected by the Russian public even with all the favourable external conditions (the book was provided with the author’s foreword and an introduction by the famous critic Georg Brandes; besides, Rung was talented and well-known in many countries).

Keywords

References

1. Veselovskiy Yu. Shvedskaya literatura nashikh dney [Contemporary Swedish Literature]. Literaturnye ocherki [Literary Essays]. Moscow, 1910. Vol. 2, pp. 362–385.
2. Rung O. Predislovie avtora k russkomu perevodu [Author’s Foreword to the Russian Translation]. Verenitsa teney. Roman. Pogonya za rekordom. Rasskaz. Edinstvennyy razreshennyy avtorom perevod s datskogo A. Lipshits [A Procession of Shadows. Novel. Record Fever. Story. The Only Authorized Translation from Danish by A. Lipschitz]. Moscow, 1912, pp. 5–6.
3. Brandes G. Otto Rung [Otto Rung]. Rung O. Verenitsa teney. Roman. Pogonya za rekordom. Rasskaz. Edinstvennyy razreshennyy avtorom perevod s datskogo A. Lipshits [A Procession of Shadows. Novel. Record Fever. Story. The Only Authorized Translation from Danish by A. Lipschitz]. Moscow, 1912, pp. 7–12.
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5. Levinson A. Rets. na Otto Rung. Polnoe sobranie sochineniy. T. 1. Verenitsa teney. Roman. Pogonya za rekordom. Rasskaz. S predisloviem avtora k russkomu izdaniyu i so vstupitel’noy stat’ey Georga Brandesa. Edinstvennyy razreshennyy avtorom perevod s datskogo A. Lipshits. M., 1912 [A Review of Otto Rung’s Book. Complete Works. Vol. 1. A Procession of Shadows. Novel. Record Fever. Story. With the Author’s Foreword and Georg Brandes’ Introductory Word. The Only Authorized Translation from Danish by A. Lipschitz. Moscow, 1912]. Sovremennyy mir, 1912, no. 2, pp. 336–337.
   
6. Rung O. Verenitsa teney. Roman. Pogonya za rekordom. Rasskaz. Edinstvennyy razreshennyy avtorom perevod s datskogo A. Lipshits [A Procession of Shadows. Novel. Record Fever. Story. The Only Authorized Translation from Danish by A. Lipschitz]. Moscow, 1912.