F. M. Dostoevsky in Iran: “Triple” Translation

Abstract

The creative heritage of F. M. Dostoevsky has always aroused interest among Iranian researchers and lovers of Russian literature. The article is devoted to the study of Dostoevsky’s influence on the formation and development of Persian literature. This influence found expression in such a peculiar phenomenon as a triple translation: the translation of Dostoevsky’s novel into Persian, the translation of literary text into cinematic language, and the translation of Christian content into the language of Islamic culture. The article contains an analysis of the film adaptation of “White Nights,” which was released in 2002. The author of the script for the film is Saeed Aghighi, the author of the production is an outstanding Iranian film director Farzad Motamen. The feature film is a free adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novel “White Nights” to modern Persian spatial, temporal, cultural and religious features. It can be considered the only successful Iranian film adaptation of the works of Russian classics. The film was the result of a creative dialogue of the translator, screenwriter and director with the author, interaction and mutual enrichment of different types of arts, national cultures and confessions, literary, philosophical and religious codes of communication.