Was a New Polish Translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales and Stories Necessary?
Choose format
RIS BIB ENDNOTEWas a New Polish Translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales and Stories Necessary?
Publication date: 04.03.2013
Przekładaniec, Issues in English, Issue 22-23/2009-2010 – Translating Fairy Tales, pp. 77-116
https://doi.org/10.4467/16891864ePC.13.004.0858Authors
Translators
Was a New Polish Translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales and Stories Necessary?
A positive answer to the above question seems obvious after a critical analysis of the reception of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales and stories in Poland in the second part of the 19th century and in the first part of the 20th century. On the one hand, over a hundred years ago the writer was classified as an author of children’s literature due to intended or unintended misinterpretations of his prose. This classification was then inherited by next generations of readers and translators. On the other hand, numerous translatory mistakes depleted Andersen’s unique style. The analysis shows how Andersen’s narration was changed to traditional literary style, especially when it came to dialogues; how humour and irony were overlooked, misunderstood or judged improper for children; how translators miscomprehended Danish grammar and vocabulary; and how little attention was paid to the coherence of the text. The analysis compares the complete edition of 167 fairy tales and stories translated from Danish (Sochańska 2006) and the complete editon of 155 fairy tales and stories translated from German (Beylin and Iwaszkiewicz 1956), which has enjoyed a canonical status. The comparison not only indicates the difficulties in translating Andersen; it also demonstrates how his prose could be restored to its original shape and how it could again address both young and adult readers.
Andersen, H.C. 1859. Powiastki moralno-fantastyczne [Moral and Fantasy Tales]. Trans. F.H. Lewestam. Warszawa: S. Orgelbrand.
Andersen, H.C. 1862. Bajki [Fables]. Trans. M.Chr. Leszno: Ernest Günther.
Andersen, H.C. 1868. Samlede Skrifter [Collected Writings]. Vol. 1–28. København: C. A. Reitzers Forlag.
Andersen, H.C. 1890. Powiastki [Tales]. Trans. W. Młodnicka. Lvov: Pegagogical Society.
Andersen, H.C. 1892. Bajki i opowiadania [Fairy Tales and Stories]. Anon. Trans. Warszawa: T. Paprocki & S-ka.
Andersen, H.C. 1892. Fantastyczne opowieści [Fantasy Tales]. Trans. W. Młodnicka. Lwów: Gubrynowicz & Schmidt.
Andersen, H.C. 1898. Baśnie i powiastki dla młodego wieku [Fairy Tales and Stories for the Young Reader]. Trans. Anonymous. Poznań: J. Leitgeber.
Andersen, H.C. 1899. Baśnie [Fairy Tales]. Ed. C. Niewiadomska. Warszawa: Gebethner & Wolf.
Andersen, H.C. 1900. Nowe powieści czarodziejskie Andersena [Andersen’s New Magic Tales]. Vol. 1–2. Trans. Marya Glotz. Warszawa: Niwa Polska.
Andersen, H.C. 1909. Calineczka. Bajka Andersena, opowiedział wierszem Leon Rygiel. [Thumbelina. A Tale by Andersen, Told in Verse by Leon Rygiel]. Warszawa: M. Arct.
Andersen, H.C. 1923. Nowy wybór bajek Andersena [A New Selection of Andersen’s Fairy Tales]. Trans. W. Młodnicka. Lwów: H. Altenberg.
Andersen, H.C. 1924. Baśnie Andersena dla dzieci [Andersen’s Fairy Tales for Children]. Trans. J. Colonna-Walewska. Warszawa: Argus.
Andersen, H.C. 1929. Baśnie [Fairy Tales]. Ed. Cecylia Niewiadomska. Warszawa: Gebethner & Wolf.
Andersen, H.C. 1929. Baśnie [Fairy Tales]. Trans. F. Mirandola. Poznań: R.Wegner.
Andersen, H.C. 1929. Najpiękniejsze baśnie H.C. Andersena [H.C. Andersen’s Finest Fairy Tales]. Ed. J. Mortkowiczowa. Warszawa: J. Mortkowicz.
Andersen, H.C. 1931. Baśnie [Fairy Tales]. Vol. 1–6. Trans. St. Beylinówna and S. Sawicki. Warszawa: J. Mortkowicz.
Andersen, H.C. 1932. Baśnie [Fairy Tales]. Trans. E. Jezierski. Warszawa: J. Przeworski.
Andersen, H.C. 1938. Bajki [Fairy Tales]. Trans. A. Przemski. Kraków: Księgarnia Powszechna.
Andersen, H.C. 1938. Bajki [Fairy Tales]. Trans. M. Tarnowski. Warszawa: J. Przeworski.
Andersen, H.C. 1946. Bajki [Fairy Tales]. Trans. W. Zechenter. Kraków: M. Kot.
Andersen, H.C. 1946. Bajki [Fairy Tales]. Trans. C. Kędzierski. Poznań: Księgarnia Zdzisław Gustowski.
Andersen, H.C. 1956. Baśnie [Fairy Tales]. Vol. 1–3. Trans. S. Beylin, S. Sawicki, J. Iwaszkiewicz. Warszawa: Nasza Księgarnia.
Andersen, H.C. 1975. Dadbøger [Diaries]. Vol. I–X. København: Det Danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab.
Andersen, H.C. 2003. Eventyr og Historie [Fairy Tales and Stories]. Vol. 1–3. København: Høst & Søn.
Andersen, H.C. 2006. Baśnie i opowieści [Fairy Tales and Stories]. Vol. 1–3. Trans. B. Sochańska, Poznań: Media Rodzina.
Beylinówna St. 1931. „Wstęp” [Introduction]. H.C. Andersen. Baśnie [H.C. Andersen. Fairy Tales]. Vol. 1. Warszawa: J. Mortkowicz.
Conroy, P. L. & Rossel, S. H. (eds.) 1990. Diaries of Hans Christian Andersen. Seattle & London: University of Washington Press.
Iwaszkiewicz J. 1956. „Wstęp” [Introduction]. H.Ch. Andersen. Baśnie [H.Ch. Andersen. Fairy Tales]. Vol. 1. Warszawa: Nasza Księgarnia.
Korotyńska E. [no publication date] Baśnie Andersena [Andersen’s Fairy Tales]. Warszawa: J. Rosenwein.
Sochańska B. 2005a. „Andersen nie tylko dla dzieci” [Andersen Not Only for Children]. Między nami polonistami. 1.
Sochańska B. 2005b. „Andersen znany i nieznany” [Andersen Known and Unknown]. Wychowanie w Przedszkolu 7.
Sochańska B. 2005c. „Pan Andersen czyta bajki dzieciom” [Mr Andersen Reads Tales to Children]. Odra 7–8.
Sochańska B. 2006. „Andersen w Polsce” [Andersen in Poland]. H.Ch. Andersen. Baśnie i opowieści [H.Ch. Andersen. Fairy Tales and Stories]. Vol. 3. Poznań: Media Rodzina.
Sochańska B. 2007. „Andersen – nie tylko baśnie” [Andersen – Not Only Fairy Tales]. Odra 7–8.
Sochańska B. 2008. „Między niebem a ziemią – Andersen nieznany” [Between Heaven and Earth – Unknown Andersen] Polonistyka 8.
Wullschläger J. 2000. Andersen. The Life of a Storyteller. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Zechenter W. 1946. „Słowo wstępne” [Foreward]. H.C. Andersen. Bajki [H.Ch. Andersen. Fairy Tales and Stories]. Kraków: M. Kot.
Information: Przekładaniec, Issues in English, Issue 22-23/2009-2010 – Translating Fairy Tales, pp. 77-116
Article type: Original scientific article
Published at: 04.03.2013
Article status: Open
Licence: None
Percentage share of authors:
Article corrections:
-Publication languages:
EnglishView count: 2643
Number of downloads: 2526