World Literature and Literary Afterlife*

Abstract

Literary works and their authors seldom belong solely to the historical age and part of the world in which they were written. But how do some begin life anew in other languages, other cultural contexts, and in other literary marketplaces, while many do not? Does a distinctive narrative, combined with authorial flair, render certain works susceptible to creative adaptation, imaginative retranslation, or extensive allusion by other writers? And when original literary works do undergo such metamorphoses, who is capable of recognizing them in their new guise? Does engaging with literary works in new linguistic incarnations or other socio-political contexts enrich our reading experience and aesthetic sensibilities – and, if so, then in what way?