„Die zugenagelten Fenster auf Europa entriegeln“ – Ostap Ortwin übersetzt Otto Weiningers Geschlecht und Charakter
‘To Unlock the Nailed up Windows to Europe’ – Ostap Ortwin Translates Otto Weininger’s Geschlecht und Charakter

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses early Polish reactions to Otto Weininger’s Geschlecht und Charakter with special attention given to the anti-Semitic chapter ‘Judentum’. In this context the author analyses Ostap Ortwin, the first Polish translator of Weininger’s text. The Polish debate over Weininger’s book shows how his postulate of self-betterment combined with overcoming in-born weaknesses attracted the attention of the readership. Moreover, foreign text stemming from an alien language made challenging Jewish-critical opinions somehow easier. Leo Belmont, one of the readers, chose to publicly criticize the Jewish mentality—which represented a personal identity question for him—without entering into an alliance with Polish anti-Semites. Weininger’s text gave him this opportunity by making possible, at least rhetorically, a non-partisan reflection on the hotly debated topic.

• Details
• Contents