| Title | A Handbook of the Socialist Movement |
|---|---|
| Subtitle | Gorky’s Mother in Ethiopia |
| Contributor | Nikolay Steblin-Kamensky(author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0340.21 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0340/chapters/10.11647/obp.0340.21 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Nikolay Steblin-Kamensky |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2024-04-03 |
| Long abstract | This essay examines the Soviet project of literary translation into Amharic, testing its ostensibly egalitarian appeal against the USSR’s political goals. Firstly, I use a bibliographical index to overview the history of Soviet Amharic translation, demonstrating the statist nature of the project. Secondly, through a case study of the translation of Gorky’s Mother (1906), I analyze the limits of state control over a translation project. I conclude that, despite the literalistic mode of translation strictly imposed by the Soviet publisher, translators could adjust their work to transmit a particular message to his readership. Books, as cultural goods, are not only distinct from market commodities; they resist being reduced to political functions. Despite the state’s significant investment of resources, the USSR could not determine which books would become popular and domesticated in subaltern nations, and which would be rejected. |
| Page range | pp. 367–384 |
| Print length | 18 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
Nikolay Steblin-Kamensky is a researcher at the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), St Petersburg, Russia. He has an MA in Ethiopian Studies from St Petersburg State University and an MA in Anthropology from the European University in St Petersburg. His academic interests are migration studies and Amharic literature.