Dostoevsky in disguise. The 1888 French version of The Brothers Karamazov

Retranslation as an (un)successful counter-narrative: Les frères Ka­ra­mazov versus Les frères Karamazov

“…Their renewed collaboration was encouraged by the commercial success of their earlier co-translation L'esprit souterrain (1886), which is marked by far-reaching narrative shifts (Boulogne 2019b). As detailed comparative analyses have shown, they have adopted a similar translation strategy to Dostoevsky's latest novel (Hemmings 1950, Boulogne 2011: 399 et seq.). Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov opens with a two-page preface by a fictional author, who explains why the novel's central character, Alësha, remains so passive: his actions will become more important in the novel to follow.…”

“…While the first two chapters are translated from the corresponding Russian chapters, there is no trace of the original third chapter. Chapters III to VIII of the French translation, in turn, originated from the imagination of Halpérine-Kaminsky and Morice, who provided the novel with a happy ending full of action: disguised as a peasant, the youngest brother, Alësha Karamazov, manages to break into Dmitry's prison cell, where he deliberately takes his place, whereupon he is put on trial and acquitted (for a more detailed discussion, see Hemmings 1950, Boulogne 2009and Boulogne 2011.…”

“…He retorted in prefaces that he added to reissues of his translations L'esprit souterrain (1929) and Les frères Karamazov (1932). Although Halpérine-Kaminsky's translation strategy is the subject of his study, these paratexts were not taken into account by Hemmings (1950).…”

The French influence in the early Dutch reception of F. M. Dostoevsky's Brat'ja Karamazovy: A case study

“…Translating Brat'ja Karamazovy, Halpérine-Kaminsky did not limit himself to the rewriting of the epilogue: he also adapted the sequence of the chapters and left out quite some episodes (see also Hemmings 1950a).…”