FRANZ KAFKA IN UKRAINIAN TRANSLATIONS: AN ENDLESS STORY

Abstract

Modern approaches to the study of Ukrainian translation studies grounded in postcolonial theory make it possible to view the entire translation process as an emancipatory movement, as an attempt by a politically subjugated culture to free itself from colonial influence. The proposed article chronologically analyses the emergence of Ukrainian translations of Kafka’s works in the context of the formation and functioning of such a translation process, beginning with the first translations published during the so-called “Thaw” of the 1960s, as well as diaspora editions of the late 1980s, and continuing up to translations published in independent Ukraine, particularly after the full-scale invasion launched by the aggressor state. The article provides comprehensive bibliographic data on the publication of translations and pays particular attention to the phenomenon of multiple translations, when the same literary work exists in several Ukrainian translations. A notable example is the short story The Metamorphosis, also translated under the alternative title Transformation, which currently exists in six different Ukrainian translations produced in different periods and contexts. The analysis of the translated works is organically combined with an overview of the translation activities of individual translators, including Yevhen Popovych, Ihor Andrushchenko, Natalka Sniadanko, and others. The article also examines the main ideological and aesthetic aspects of the reception of Kafka’s works, particularly in the studies of Dmytro Zatonskyi. Based on the conducted analysis, it has been established that the first Ukrainian translations of Kafka were published earlier than the Russian ones, which constitutes an important fact in the context of studying Ukrainian translation studies as a form of emancipatory movement during the cultural and political oppression of the Soviet regime. As a parallel to this, the article also discusses the contemporary translation process, particularly through the example of the novel The Trial, when the publication of a translation is accompanied by other media products such as photo projects, exhibitions, and popular science initiatives. The conclusions and bibliographic materials presented in the article will be especially valuable for scholars researching the translation process in contemporary Ukraine. They are also important from the perspective of conducting comparative analyses of several translations of the same work, as well as for studying the role of the translator and the translator’s individual style.