Baltic German Women between Two Cultures: Translators of Latvian Literature at the End of the 19th Century and in the 20th Century
Baltic German Women between Two Cultures: Translators of Latvian Literature at the End of the 19th Century and in the 20th Century

Summary/Abstract: The article presents an insight into the life, literary activities and translations of Latvian literature by four Baltic German women: Hanny Brentano (née Johanna Legai, 1872–1940); Elisabeth Goercke (married surname Braunz, 1888–1966); Elfriede Skalberg (married surname Eckardt, 1884–1964); and Martha Grubbe (married surname von Dehn, 1894–1971), and evaluates their contribution to the integration and popularisation of Latvian literature among German-speakers. The article compares different approaches to the translation of rhythmical texts – songs and poetry, drawing attention also to the cultural context of Latvia and of Europe, offering explanations, wherever possible, of what it was that compelled each of the four translators to turn to the transfer of Latvian texts into a German-speaking social environment, and assessing the reception that their translated texts met.

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