COMMENTARY ON THE UKRAINIAN TRANSLATION OF “INNER EXPERIENCE” BY GEORGES BATAILLE

Abstract

The commentary is devoted to the Ukrainian translation of «Inner Experience» work by Georges Bataille, the famous French intellectual of the twentieth century. The paper outlines a short history of publications and extensions of «Inner Experience», which is a certain difficulty for the translator and the initial condition for incomplete translation of the work, which was not published in full while its author was alive. The paper is devoted to analysis of the key philosophical terms, the translation of which was problematic: in particular, such concepts as «angoisse» (anxiety), «supplice» (torment), «communication» (communication), «discourse» (discourse), «esprit» (mind),» entendement (understanding), «intelligence» (intelligence), «savoir» (knowledge), «connaissance» (knowledge), «ipse» (not translated) and «ipseité» (self). The concept of «anguish» provides an opportunity to fit Bataille into the existing existentialist-phenomenological tradition (understanding «anguish» as the «anxiety», a key concept in Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Sartre works). The concept of supplice is also rich in connotations: it is primarily about the experience of the crucified Christ at the moment of his cry «in eli lama sabachtani» («why have you forsaken me?»). Bataille refers to this biblical story in order to illustrate the inner experience, but not of Christ himself, but of the Christian, who is filled with the Savior’s suffering, both physical and spiritual. Emphasis was placed on anti-discoursiveness and poeticism as key characteristics of Bataille’s writing, which also contributed to the complication of such a task as the translation of the work «Inner Experience». It is stated that both the translator and the reader of «Inner Experience» should come to terms with the style of wasting words, terms, and connotations in this work. This sacrifice was performed by Bataille repeatedly, and not aimlessly: after all, a new generation of philosophers (among whom J. Baudrillard, J. Derrida, J. Kristeva and M. Foucault) found in him a source of inspiration.