Retranslation of Russian Classics (1991-2022): Assessment and Prospects

Abstract

The retranslation of Russian classics into Italian in the last thirty years is a topic of no little importance, for at least two reasons. On the one hand, this phenomenon mirrors a literary text translation activity that is still alive and in great evolution. On the other hand, an assessment that shows which works of Russian literature have appeared in new translations and which have remained ‘behind the scenes’ can be a useful orientation for the future, for the benefit of publishing houses, translators and scholars. The perspective of this report is therefore not to address specific translation problems, nor to give indications about editorial strategies about Russian literature. Instead, it is to review the main retranslated authors, also highlighting those who have not yet had new translations, and to draw conclusions that may be of use to the scholarly community and its relations with the publishing industry.