Was Mikołaj of Błonie a Supporter of the Conciliarist Movement?

Was Mikołaj of Błonie a Supporter of the Conciliarist Movement?

Author(s): Lidia Grzybowska / Language(s): English / Issue: 1 (66)/2023

Keywords: conciliarism in the 15th century; Mikołaj of Błonie; plenitudo potestatis; ecclesiology; the Hussite movement

The main aim of the paper is to address the question of whether Mikołaj of Błonie (before 1400 – ca. 1448), a Polish doctor of canon law, was a supporter of the conciliarist movement. In the first half of the 15th century, the most prominent representatives of Poland’s intellectual elite were conciliarists. Initially, the Polish elite were moderately sympathetic towards conciliarism, but with the development of the situation during the Council of Basel (1431–1449), radical solutions started to be favoured. This article analyzes selected fragments from two works by Mikołaj of Błonie in the broader context of the conciliarist discussion in order to determine to what extent the contemporary situation and the preacher’s personal opinion could be reflected in the preaching and pastoral texts. These texts are Tractatus sacerdotalis de sacramentis (known as Sacramentale), a pastoral manual written around 1430, prepared for the lower clergy, and two collections of sermons – de tempore and de sanctis – also intended for use by lower clergy and uneducated audiences, written probably around 1438. Mikołaj of Błonie strongly postulated the need for reforms of the Church in membris while maintaining great caution in formulating conclusions regarding the reform in capite. His approach to power in the Church places him more on the side of the papists, although in his texts one can see a distant echo of the writings of Jean Gerson, Stanisław of Skarbimierz, and the discussions by Polish theologians and decreeists. Mikołaj’s conservativeness can be explained in many ways: the preacher’s personal views, the specific purpose of the texts, which did not provide space for ecclesiological discussion, and the context of polemics with the Hussites as well as the need to strengthen papal authority.

“Quodam frater hungarus ordinis minorum de observantia”. Osualdus de Lasko’s Identity as a Preacher and Author of Sermons

“Quodam frater hungarus ordinis minorum de observantia”. Osualdus de Lasko’s Identity as a Preacher and Author of Sermons

Author(s): Paula Cotoi / Language(s): English / Issue: 1 (66)/2023

Keywords: Franciscan Observance; Hungarian Kingdom; model sermon collections; medieval preaching; authorship; anonymity

Osualdus de Lasko (OFM Obs, ca. 1450–1511) composed two sermon collections, which were published in print at the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth centuries. However, the readers of his books did not know the name of the author, who was only introduced as “quodam frater hungarus ordinis minorum de observantia”. This paper considers this option for anonymity as a premise for further investigating Osualdus’ identity as an author of sermons and as a preacher, intending to answer questions such as: How is Osualdus presenting or representing himself as an author/preacher? For what reasons and purpose did he compile these sermon collections? How were his homiletic works related to real preaching? Which was his ideal of a preacher? How relevant are the Franciscan affiliation and Hungarian origins for his identity? Grounded on the idea that the author is embedded in his text, this essay explores the prologues of Osualdus’ works and three of his sermons that discuss precisely about preaching’s agents, role, and beneficiaries. The analysis emphasizes that Osvalus’ vision of the ideal preacher and self-representation as author of sermons is shaped by Franciscan concepts of humility, renunciation and imitatio Christi.Anonymity is also presented as a possible sign of humbleness, in the spirit of Franciscan values. Similarly, his understanding of the goal of spreading the Word of God follows the mission of the Friars Minor in general, and their actions in Hungary in particular: fighting heterodox beliefs, converting heretics and schismatic, defending and strengthening faith at the margins of Christendom. Osualdus’ concern for the catechization of simple people might have also been a consequence of the local experience of Franciscans and their contact with the peasantry in their rural convents. The paper concludes that in Osualdus’ case anonymity is not intended to hide or disguise his identity, which is clearly defined around the two elements used as a signature: the Hungarian origins and the Franciscan affiliation. His authority as a preacher and author of sermons resided in his special commission as a member of the Order of Friars Minor and his messages were mainly intended for the local public and for the safeguard of his homeland. The name of the author/preacher was most probably known to his primary audience. Only for the distant readers of his texts the author became anonymous, but they were made aware of the essential components of its identity, representative for the content as well.

Memory of Rita Kielhorn

Wspomnienie o Ricie Kielhorn

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

From the Editor

Od redakcji

Author(s): Joanna Bonior,Marek Motyka / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

The incidence of selected neoplastic diseases among children and adolescents in the Silesian Voivodeship

The incidence of selected neoplastic diseases among children and adolescents in the Silesian Voivodeship

Author(s): Dariusz Góra / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: cancer epidemiology; lymphocytic leukemia; myeloid leukemia; tumors of the brain and central nervous system

Introduction.The causes of malignant neoplasms occurring in both children and adolescents remain unknown, but epidemiological and genetic studies have partially elucidated the origin of these tumors. Brain tumors are most common in children under 5 years of age. Mostly adolescents aged 10-14 years develop lymphomas and bone tumors.Objective. The aim of the article is to discuss the incidence of selected neoplastic diseases in children and adolescents from the Silesian Voivodeship in 2010-2019. The article includes: lymphocytic leukemia (C 91), myeloid leukemia (C 92), cancer of the brain and central nervous system (D 43) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (C82-85).Materials and methdos.In March 2022, data on the incidence (absolute numbers) of selected neoplastic diseases among children and adolescents from 0 to 19 years of age (divided into age groups: under 1, 1 to 4, 5 to 14 and 15 to 19) life) from the Silesian Voivodeship.Then, appropriate tables illustrating the incidence of the diseases in question were drawn up.Results.In the age group between 5 and 14 years of age, the incidence of lymphocytic leukemia increased between 2010 and 2013 and amounted to 30 in 2010 and 39 in 2013, respectively. tumors of the brain and central nervous system in 2011, in the years 2012-2014 the incidence was 7 cases per year, and from 2015 to 2019 the nature of the incidence increased and amounted to 8 in 2015 and 19 in 2019, respectively.Conclusions.One of the reasons adversely affecting the diagnostic and therapeutic process is the rarity of these diseases in the pediatric population, which makes it difficult for GPs to acquire their own professional experience in a short time. The second diagnostic difficulty is the different histological structure of tumors in children and adolescents.

(Un)deliberate ignorance. Discreet charm and adaptive functions of motivated ignorance

(Un)deliberate ignorance. Discreet charm and adaptive functions of motivated ignorance

Author(s): Krzysztof Mudyń / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: deliberate and undeliberate ignorance; emotional vs. pragmatic motives; moral and legal motives

First, the author cites several of wilful ignorance and analyzes the concept in relation to related terms such as “voluntary blindness”, “information avoidance” and “negative knowledge”. Then he presents the six groups of motives distinguished by Engel and Hartwig, which may lead to the phenomenon of deliberate ignorance. The author proposes to reduce The author proposes to reduce this taxonomy to three more general motives, i.e. emotional, pragmatic and moral category, and characterizes their specificity. Referring to psychoanalytic tradition and the role attributed by the modern experimental psychology to unconscious processes, he notes that not every type of motivated ignorance is preceded by a “deliberate”, conscious decision. Many manifestations of ignorance are spontaneous (but not accidental) products of the activity of unconscious processes. More or less “deliberate” ignorance is a frequent reason for potential patients to avoid or delay medical examination. The practical problem is how to counteract this unfavorable tendency.

PTkc. *jā- ∼ *ja- ‘to be near, …’ and the question of Altaic correspondences

PTkc. *jā- ∼ *ja- ‘to be near, …’ and the question of Altaic correspondences

Author(s): Kamil Stachowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2023

Keywords: Turkic; Proto-Turkic; Proto-Altaic; etymology; reconstruction

The paper discusses a group of eleven words with similar phonetic shapes and somewhat similar semantics: jagu-, jak- ‘to come near’; jan- ‘to turn back’; jaguk, jakȳn ‘close, near’; jāk, jān ‘side’; jāna- ‘to sharpen’; jaŋak ‘cheek’; jaŋy ‘new’; and jaka ‘edge’. All have been suspected to belong to the same family, at the heart of which, most probably, would be the verbal root *jā-. Some of the problems associated with this idea were known previously, whereas some are newly identified here. The paper considers various constraints and proposes a scheme centred around *jā ∼ *ja- ‘to be near, …’, which may or may not be connected to MaTung. daga ‘id.’ and Mo. daga- ‘to follow’.

TSAR, EAST, AND CIVILIZATION: RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN EDNA DEAN PROCTOR’S TRAVELOGUE

TSAR, EAST, AND CIVILIZATION: RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN EDNA DEAN PROCTOR’S TRAVELOGUE

Author(s): Elena I. Annenkova,Olena Yufereva / Language(s): English / Issue: 178/2022

Keywords: Edna Dean Proctor; A Russian Journey; travelogue; image of Russia; West; Europe; Orientalism; female’s travel writing;

American writer Edna Dean Proctor (1829-1923), known as a poet and a progressive social activist, published her travelogue back in 1871, hot on the trail of her extensive tour of the countries of Western Europe and the Holy Land, including the Russian Empire. A Russian Journey was reprinted in America several times, and by the 1890 reprint, which has served as the material for this paper. The purpose of the study is to reveal the peculiarities of the image of Russia in the female traveler vision, which was created at the intersection of several discourse fields, Russian and Oriental, European and Eastern. The analysis of the author's creative thinking is based on a culturological perusal, which makes it possible to identify symbolic and mythopoetic codes of construction of a “borderline” mentality, as well as on a gender-adjusted post-colonial approach, exposing the clash of colonial and anti-colonial ideas. The research demonstrates, that European codes do not play a meaning-forming role, as well as the truly Russian ones; instead, the Eastern codes are revealed to the fullest possible extent. The attempts to fit the development of the empire into the Western discourse leads to emergence of semantic shifts and dichotomy of Oriental and European concepts.

Translation Criticism as a Dialogue. A Hermeneutic Model

Translation Criticism as a Dialogue. A Hermeneutic Model

Author(s): Piotr de Bończa Bukowski / Language(s): English / Issue: Sp. Iss./2023

Keywords: literary translation; translation criticism; hermeneutics; dialogue;

In this article, I reflect on the productivity of hermeneutic translation criticism, focusing on literary translation. I pose the question whether the hermeneutic mode of translation analysis and evaluation – largely based on the premises of Romantic art criticism – has the potential to make a significant contribution to contemporary discussions on the functional model of translation criticism. My argument is that the source of the productivity (and functionality) of translation criticism is dialogicity – a feature that can be considered fundamental in the case of hermeneutics. Following the dialogical hermeneutics of F. Schlegel, F. Schleiermacher and H.-G. Gadamer, as well as H.R. Jauß’s aesthetics of reception, I formulate some general postulates regarding a hermeneutic critique of literary translations. This critical mode is interrogative: it locates and poses questions that are answered by the examined texts. The critic’s questions include those about the original and for the original, about the translator and for the translator, as well as about the reader and for the reader. Finally, I demonstrate cases in which a critical dialogue crystallizes around literary translations. It is a dialogue that can be shaped and interpreted by the postulated hermeneutic translation criticism.

DESCRIPTION OF OMENS IN THE CHRONICLE OF NOVGOROD

DESCRIPTION OF OMENS IN THE CHRONICLE OF NOVGOROD

Author(s): ANASTASIIA V. MISHCHUK,YULIIA RUDENKO,MARYNA O. DEI,IRYNA S. SKLIAR,Natalia Kovalchuk / Language(s): English / Issue: 181/2023

Keywords: celestial omens; astronomical phenomena; writing of chronicles; history of Kievan Rus’; worldview of the me- dieval person;

The author of the article is interested in the attitude of the medieval person towards various astronomical phenomena, their aspiration to characterize these phenomena, to point out their connection with the historical events of the Novgorod Republic. The relevance of the study of our subject is that the analysis of the descriptions of omens in medieval literature, including chronicles, is poorly researched by well-known historians and mediaevalists. The purpose of the work is to find, examine, and analyse what omens the medieval person drew attention to, how they reacted to them, and how these are recorded in the chronicles. Methods such as descriptive, comparative, and comparative and collation were used in the article. Fragments of the Chronicle of Novgorod describing various celestial omens were collected and analysed in the article. The novelty of the research is that the analysis of celestial omens recorded in the Chronicle of Novgorod has not been performed before, and they have not been given much importance upon the interpretation of ancient records.

THE INTERACTION OF ORTHOGRAPHY, PERCEPTION, AND PHONOLOGY IN THE ADAPTATION OF E /Ɜ:/ IN LOANWORDS INTO RUSSIAN

THE INTERACTION OF ORTHOGRAPHY, PERCEPTION, AND PHONOLOGY IN THE ADAPTATION OF E /Ɜ:/ IN LOANWORDS INTO RUSSIAN

Author(s): Kateryna Laidler / Language(s): English / Issue: 181/2023

Keywords: loanword adaptation; phonology; phonetics; acoustics; orthography; Russian; English

In the process of loanword nativization, foreign sounds are inevitably altered so as to comply with the phonological principles of the borrowing language. There is, however, an ongoing debate as to whether such modifications are attributable to the phonological similarity between the source and the target segments, their acoustic closeness, orthographic conven- tions of the languages involved or an impact of additional extralinguistic factors. The issue seems particularly relevant in the case of those sounds whose adaptation to the target language involves several changes. The present paper deals with the issue of the so-called British English long schwa adaptation in loanwords from English into Russian. E /ɜ:/ nativiza- tion poses an interesting research problem due to its lacking a single phonologically or phonetically closest equivalent in Russian. Thus, considerable variability can be observed in how it is adapted. The present paper aims to examine the major mechanisms and patterns of E /ɜ:/ nativization in Russian loanwords and shed some light on the interplay of phonology, acoustic similarity, and orthography. Towards this goal, the major adaptation scenarios of 200 established loanwords con- taining E /ɜ:/ have been compared to the results of an online experiment in which 41 native speakers of Russian with no. command of English listened to a list of English words containing the sound in question in different segmental contexts and were asked to transcribe them using Cyrillic characters. The analysis demonstrates that while established loanwords are often influenced by orthography, spelling-based adaptations are inevitably reinforced by phonology and in some cases acoustic similarity. Moreover, a number of such adaptations is marginal if they are not supported by either phonology or phonetics, and the most common substitutes show an interplay of all three factors. Hence, our findings shed some light onto the nature of /ɜ:/ nativization in the Russian language as well as add to the debate of the loanword adaptation phenomena in general.

DEPENDENCE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH ON GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE BY FUNCTION IN THE BALTIC STATES

DEPENDENCE OF ECONOMIC GROWTH ON GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE BY FUNCTION IN THE BALTIC STATES

Author(s): Gitana Dudzevičiūtė / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Baltic states; economic growth; government expenditure;

The aim of this research is to examine the dependence of economic growth on government spending by function in the Baltic countries – Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The author has used total expenditure and composition approaches to explore the relationship between the variables. The investigation covers the period from 1996 to 2020. The author has employed descriptive statistics and econometric techniques, including automatic linear modelling (ALM). The study's insights reveal that the growth of the Latvian and Estonian economies depends on general government spending. This dependence is similar in both countries, that is, 62.8% in Latvia and 66.5% in Estonia. In Lithuania, 57.7% of fluctuations in economic growth are explained by spending on social protection. In Latvia, the influence of spending on social protection and economic affairs amounts to 63.4% of economic growth. In Estonia, spending on social protection and health explains 78.1% of the fluctuations in economic growth. The findings of the study may be useful in ensuring a more efficient allocation of government finances in the Baltic states.

INCREASE IN PATRIOTIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN UKRAINE AND POLAND AS A RESULT OF RUSSIAN INVASION IN 2022

INCREASE IN PATRIOTIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN UKRAINE AND POLAND AS A RESULT OF RUSSIAN INVASION IN 2022

Author(s): Łukasz Sułkowski,Grzegorz Ignatowski,Bartłomiej Stopczyński,Joanna Trębska / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: patriotism; patriotic entrepreneurship; impact of war;

The aim of the paper is to examine the significance of the war in Ukraine for patriotic entrepreneurship in both Poland and Ukraine. The methods are semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and an online survey conducted among participants coming from both countries, who were introduced to the main elements that make up the concept of patriotic entrepreneurship. Both quantitative and qualitative research indicated that there is no significant impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on inclinations related to patriotic entrepreneurship among Polish entrepreneurs, while there is such an impact among Ukrainian entrepreneurs. While patriotic entrepreneurship can be one of the important motivations for managerial and employee actions, the noticeable impact of war on it was only in the country where hostilities are taking place. The research limitation was the lack of representativeness of the sample. The research should be repeated after the war. It would also be useful to continue the research on the representative study.

PERCEIVED “COMMON” SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND MACROECONOMIC TRENDS IN AZERBAIJAN

PERCEIVED “COMMON” SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND MACROECONOMIC TRENDS IN AZERBAIJAN

Author(s): Khatai Aliyev / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: social problem; subjective evaluation; governance quality; social unrest; public policy;

The research presents an elaborated mapping of common social problems in Azerbaijan across country’s regions. Using a survey dataset of 2161 respondents representing various socio-demographic categories of the population, the study borrows a two-stage approach to identify the “common” social problems in the country. Primary research findings are (1) the "top 5" list includes inflation, unemployment, corruption, state of education and health, and poverty, (2) a correlation exists between macro-economic trends and the population's social problem perception, (3) the subjective evaluation is relatively less institutional in the regions, and among less educated people, and (4) poverty is a typical problem for the less educated people. From institutional perspective, Azerbaijan government should put more effort into enhancing governance quality. On the economic side, the government needs to reconsider its official unemployment and poverty records to do more precise policy estimates, which is crucial to abstaining from social unrest.

HOLY RUS — ON UKRAINIAN RUSSOPHILISM

HOLY RUS — ON UKRAINIAN RUSSOPHILISM

Author(s): Włodzimierz Osadczy / Language(s): English / Issue: 182/2023

Keywords: Ukraine; Russia; Galicia; Russophilism; Kyiv; the Orthodox Church;

The so-called russophilism of Ukrainians is an important identity and geopolitical element in the context of Eastern Eu- rope. It would be a too far-fetched simplification to explain it only by the imperial policy of russification. The territories of modern Ukraine were the centre of historical Rus. Tsarist Russia built its national mythology on the basis of its tradition. Enlightened Ruthenian or Ukrainian elites were the co-creators of this mythology. The tradition of the Orthodox Church, also known as the Ruthenian Church, is bound not only because of the doctrine of faith but also by external shapes: language, common saints, common names, etc. Under Russia’s rule, rusophilism was a kind of natural state of mind for Ukrainians. The emergence of a strong russophile unvironment under the rule of Austria and Hungary testified to the deep roots of this kind of understanding of one’s own identity. Despite the fight against russophilia in the 20th century, it remained deeply rooted in the consciousness of some of the inhabitants of Ukraine. This explains the current situation in this country, the war, and the social crisis.

DOES “CLASSIC” MEAN “OBJECTIVE”? ON EARLY REPORTAGE BY DMITRY SOKOLOV-MITRICH

DOES “CLASSIC” MEAN “OBJECTIVE”? ON EARLY REPORTAGE BY DMITRY SOKOLOV-MITRICH

Author(s): Grzegorz Czerwiński / Language(s): English / Issue: 182/2023

Keywords: Dmitry Sokolov-Mitrich; reportage; persuasion; propaganda; narrtive'

The aim of this article is to analyze the narrative strategies and techniques present in Dmitry Sokolov-Mitrich’s reportage. The author of the article focuses on the relationship between the „objective” genre form of reportage and the ideological message hidden in the text. The study includes objectivizing narrative techniques as well as persuasive forms that are linked to the reader’s automatic psychological mechanisms and by„soft”means update the image of the world that Rus- sian state propaganda tries to impose aggressively.The author of the article comes to the conclusion that the classic form of reportage, based on a system of objectifying strategies and not containing textual determinants of fiction, cannot guarantee the objectivity and truthfulness of the presented facts. Belief in the truthfulness of the story told can only be the result of the „referential pact” and not the formal procedures used by the reporter. The analysis of Sokolov-Mitrich’s work shows that the text of a reportage can be used not only to secretly influence the audience, but also to disguise views and ideas criticized in the primary (literal) layer of the text.

Exploring Quicksand. Translation Criticism and Literary Criticism in the Face of the Petrification of Contemporary World Literature

Exploring Quicksand. Translation Criticism and Literary Criticism in the Face of the Petrification of Contemporary World Literature

Author(s): Olga Szmidt / Language(s): English / Issue: Sp. Iss./2023

Keywords: literary criticism; translation criticism; World Literature; comparative literature; global literature;

In contemporary discussions on the condition and further perspectives of World Literature the moods of disappointment and disillusionment seem to dominate. Reservations concern World Literature in its complexity – its canon, potential multilingualism, existing hierarchies and often contradictory conceptualizations. The crisis of World Literature is not, however, the result of any given scandal, but rather of many years of progressive petrification resulting in actual monolingualism, formulaic narrative patterns, consolidation of the center-periphery hierarchy and abandonment of the real pluralism of interpretation. One of the areas that seems to meet the challenge of World Literature is undoubtedly translation criticism. Therefore, the aim of the article is to reflect on how contemporary theories and conceptualizations of World Literature as well as its farfetched utopia can benefit from translation criticism’s input. The article also argues that translation criticism may become a field that dynamizes contemporary World Literature and restores its reordering or even revolutionary potential.

THE AXIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF ASTROLOGICAL TERMINOLOGY

THE AXIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF ASTROLOGICAL TERMINOLOGY

Author(s): YEROL TURASHBEK / Language(s): English / Issue: 182/2023

Keywords: astrology; horoscope; National Corpus of the Russian Language; emotive meaning;

Axiological aspects may be a prism shedding more light on the phenomena associated not only with semantics but also with pragmatics and linguistic-cultural factors. Such lexical units as horoscope and astrology have similar dynamics in terms of increasing or falling in popularity. In addition, at the present time, including the period between the late 20th and early 21st century, there is a predominance of negative emotions related to these concepts. This fact can be considered as evidence of an ironic attitude to the lexical units (LU) horoscope and astrology, as well as to this lexical and semantic group in general. The author used the data from the National Corpus of the Russian Language extracted by means of a continuous sampling technique, to study the estimated potential of the lexical units astrology and horoscope. The research method- ology is based on a comparative analysis of data provided by the Language corpora.

“That hive of subtlety”: Retranslation as Criticism, or a New Polish Benito Cereno

“That hive of subtlety”: Retranslation as Criticism, or a New Polish Benito Cereno

Author(s): Krzysztof Majer / Language(s): English / Issue: Sp. Iss./2023

Keywords: translation series; retranslation; anxiety of influence; agon; Herman Melville;American literature; Krystyna Korwin-Mikke;

The article focuses on my translation of Herman Melville’s novella Benito Cereno, published recently in a volume entitled Nowele i opowiadania (PIW, 2020), the work of eight translators into Polish. The volume contains new attempts at texts translated forty years earlier by Krystyna Korwin-Mikke; also featured is her own, newly revised translation of Melville’s classic – Bartleby, the Scrivener. Finding myself authoring a retranslation for the first time, I became intrigued by the affect accompanying such a ‘belated’ arrival at the text – not within a long, eminent ‘series’ (in Edward Balcerzan’s understanding of the term), but where only one previous, more or less canonical translation exists. Taking as my starting point Balcerzan’s terminology as well as Anna Legeżyńska’s notion of the ‘shared word’, I employ the concept of the translators’ agon, developed from Harold Bloom’s ideas by Kaisa Koskinen and Outi Paloposki (2015). On the basis of several examples from the field of Polish translations, and concentrating on the rhetorics of paratextual material, I briefly examine the positions that a second translator – fated to participate in an agonistic relation – may take with regard to his precursor; my examples here are three renowned practitioners: Michał Kłobukowski, Krystyna Rodowska and Maciej Świerkocki. Because my own experience is bound up with translation practice to a considerably larger degree than with its theoretical aspects, the heart of the article is an analysis of particular strategies in both of the Polish translations of Benito Cereno. I focus on issues such as nomenclature, narrative perspective, grammatical gender, as well as conventional and idiosyncratic metaphors. Exploring my own agonistic relations with Krystyna Korwin-Mikke, I attempt to determine the extent to which I have managed to avoid getting caught up in the affect produced by the uncomfortable yet inspiring consciousness of the first translator’s voice. The article is an extension of the critical gesture which I consider my retranslation, in itself, to be. Emphasizing the differences in our approach, I a so try to embrace what is shared, and to acknowledge my indebtedness to the precursor.

Translation Criticism in Cyberspace – New Opportunities and Challenges (on Polish Translations of Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita)

Translation Criticism in Cyberspace – New Opportunities and Challenges (on Polish Translations of Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita)

Author(s): Kinga Rozwadowska / Language(s): English / Issue: Sp. Iss./2023

Keywords: translation criticism; The Master and Margarita; retranslations; online journals;

The ongoing digitization of our literary heritage, together with growing competition between publishing houses has led to a situation where the retranslations of works considered canonical have changed their form of extending from diachronic, linear development in time to a synchronic “explosion” of parallel texts, whose task is to win over readers/consumers with their individual novelty, distinctiveness and “inventiveness.” In fact, such translations gain a new function – they become a marketing tool for publishing houses. In my opinion the newest retranslations of Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita is one of the most interesting examples of the process described above. In recent years, new Polish versions of this novel have been published at a dizzying pace (five new translations between 2015 and 2018) and in overwhelming numbers (five editions were published in four different translations in 2018 alone). These new translations of Bulgakov’s novel have evoked a lively response from readers. All sorts of analysis, comparisons and opinions have been published not only in scholarly journals, but also in daily newspapers, internet forums and in comments on online bookstores. On the internet, professional translation criticism coexists with the personal opinions of internet users (often based on non-literary factors) and with marketing content, advertisements, and blurbs deliberately made to look like reviews. In this article I would like to discuss the new roles of professional translation criticism under the circumstances described above, analyse its presence on the internet and try to define its new objectives. On the one hand, its voice should be loud and clear enough to be heard within the virtual chaos of texts, whilst on the other hand it should be persuasive and lucid enough to assist readers with their decision-making regarding a particular translation and to perceive the literary value of texts hidden behind attractive covers of new editions.