UDC

821.161.1+821.112.2

Authors

Anna V. Popova
Russian State University for the Humanities; ul. Chayanova 15, Moscow, 125047, Russian Federation;
e-mail: annapopowa2012@gmail.com

Abstract

Daniil Kharms was discovered by German-speaking readers through translations made by Peter Urban in the 1960s, for which he turned to the writer’s Czechoslovak publications. The article dwells on the reception of Kharms’ works in Germany starting from those first publications in German up to the 1980s, when his popularity increased. The paper aimed to establish the nature of this reception and specify the milestones of the discovery of Daniil Kharms by German-speaking readers. The author analysed archival documents (correspondence of publishers, translators; legal documents reflecting the principles of publishing policy), accompanying texts (publisher’s advertising, reviews, post- and prefaces, comments), critiques and academic articles. The following conclusions are drawn: on the one hand, the interest of German publishers in Kharms was strong enough for them to publish a collection of his works in German before its official publication in Russian; on the other hand, the popularization of Kharms in the German-speaking community met legal obstacles that could first be overcome in the 1980s, due to the efforts of translator Peter Urban, who managed to establish cooperation with Russian publishers, Slavists and other mediators. The results of this study can be introduced in the courses on the reception of Russian literature and in other disciplines within comparative literature studies. They can also be of use for mediators of the reception of Kharms’ oeuvre in the Russian-speaking community interested in greater international cooperation in popularization and practical transformation of his works in the spheres of literature, theatre and art.

Keywords

Daniil Kharms, Peter Urban, reception of Daniil Kharms in Germany

References

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