Manuscripts Don’t Burn
First and New Translations of Russian Literature in 2012
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
With 42 titles, Russian literature was strongly represented on the German book market in 2012. Highlights included new translations of Ivan Goncharov’s Oblomov and Mikhail Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita, whose use of contemporary German gave their reception a surprising impulse. First and new translations put a fresh shine on the poetry of Konstantin Balmont, Anna Akhmatova, Maria Tsvetaeva, and selected poets who wrote between 1800 and 2000. Prose by Andry Bely, Oleg Prokofiev, Mark Levi, Gaito Gazdanov, and Vsevolod Petrov was rescued from oblivion. In contempo-rary literature, traces of the OBERIU avantgarde movement and a growing interest in the traditional theme of the intelligentsia could be detected. Dedicated women spoke out. The rudiments of a socially relevant protest literature were observed.
(Osteuropa 1/2013, pp. 135–170)