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

Abstract

Drawing on Narrative Theory, this article analyses the second French translation of The Brothers Karamazov as a counter-narrative for the novel’s first translation into French. In the mid-1880s, the critic Vogüé blocked the introduction of Dostoevsky’s narrative by predict­ing a clash with the French taste. Taking this warning into account, the first French transla­tors Halpérine-Kaminsky and Morice in 1888 framed the source narrative by means of selec­tive appropriation and repositioning of the characters. Being accused of mutilation, Halpéri­ne-Kaminsky reacted with the logic of good reasons. In 1906, the reader was presented with a counter-narrative: Les frères Karamazov by Bienstock and Torquet. However, their retrans­lation, too, was an abbreviated version of the source narrative. Moreover, a micro-textual analysis shows that they largely neutralized the original couleur locale and use of multilin­gualism, which the first translators in the context of the Russian literary hype, had repro­duced to a considerably larger extent. In conclusion, the extraordinary success of the first French translation of The Brothers Karamazov is explained by referring to the norma­lizing function of narratives. In the long run, however, as a result of the undermining coun­ter-narratives in combination with the so-called ‘sleeper effect’, neither the narrative invented by Halpérine-Kaminsky and Morice could withstand the test of time.