Vasyl Stefanyk and the German Literature (on the question of typology of translations and original short story heritage of the Ukrainian writer)

Abstract

Aim. The idea of the article stems from an insufficient number of scientific investigations that would help to better understand the creative engagement in the German literature of the young Ukrainian master of narrative V. Stefanyk, who had a deep understanding of the problem of mutual enrichment of aesthetic perception by means of translation as one of important aspects of literary relations. He himself creatively perceived other writers’ achievements, thus placing the Ukrainian literature on an adequate pan-European spiritual level. The purpose of this research is to supplement the existing explorations with the studies of German parallels in V. Stefanyk’s creative work. Methods. For comparative analysis, a number of scientific research methods have been applied, such as the historical-literary, typological and biographical approaches. Results. For translation, a translator usually selects those creative works that are closest to him, that correspond to his aesthetic preferences, and are consonant with the author’s mood. Though V. Stefanyk’s German-language literature translation heritage is scarce, it nevertheless witnesses the Ukrainian short-story writer’s awareness of the world literary process, his constant search for creative works close to his own literary sentiments, in particular works on peasant topics, which raise complex moral and social issues. Therefore, his translation activity, though indirectly, contributed to the development of creative literary manner and original unique writing style. Scientific novelty. By means of comparative juxtaposition, the authors analyze the comparative-typological features in creative works of V. Stefanyk and some selected representatives of the German-language literature. Practical significance. Key outcomes of the research can be applied in further investigation of the common motives in short stories and their translations.