Russisches für die Insel-Bücherei
Russian Literature for the Insel-Bücherei

On Alexander Eliasberg’s Concept of Translation as Reflected in His Correspondence with the Insel Publishing House

Summary/Abstract: Based on the correspondence between the translator Alexander Eliasberg (1878–1924) and the German publishing house Insel-Verlag this paper explores the social, material and mental dimensions of their relationship from the point of view of cultural semiotics. Understanding the culture of translation as a semiosphere (according to Jury Lotman’s definition) furthers the insight into the dynamics and the (historical, sociocultural) conditions of the process of Russian-German cultural mediation. It also allows us to draw conclusions on Eliasberg’s concept of translation and the role of translation as a medium. One of Eliasberg’s translations from Tolstoy for the book series Insel-Bücherei, published in 1913, serves as an example.

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