Russian-German literary contacts: the first translations of Russian works for children in Germany and their reception in German periodicals (1782-1852)

Abstract

The article analyses several representative examples of Russian-German cultural contacts in children's literature related to the period of the development of children's literature in the last third of the XVIII century – first half of the XIX century. The problems of the history of the first German translations of Russian books for children (fairy tales and educational books written by Catherine II, Russian folk tales, fairy tales by V. A. Zhukovsky and A. S. Pushkin) are discussed in detail. The article is based on rare material from the German periodical press of 1782–1852 that remained unknown to Russian readers. The processes of translation and publication of these books are addressed within the complexity of their function in both Russian and German literature. Such approach makes it possible to trace not only the response of critics and readers to the publication of individual projects, but also to characterize the specifics of Russian-German relations in the context of the children’s book publishing process. The paper also addresses the factors influencing the selection of certain texts for translation; it underlines the role of public relations and personal contacts of writers and translators.

Keywords: Сhildren's literature of the XVIII – XIX centuries, literary tale, translations of the works for children, Catherine II, Anton Dietrich, A.S. Pushkin, I. Krylov, V.A. Zhukovsky.