Translations in Transitional Times: Strategies of the Journal 'Rodnik' through the Lens of Political Regime Change and Practices of ‘Glasnostj’

• In Event: Provincializing Internationalism: Periodicals, Publishers and Practices II: Performing

Abstract

"In 1987, the literary, artistic, and socio-political monthly journal “Avots” for young people, along with its Russian-language edition “Rodnik”, began publication in the Latvian SSR. The magazine featured prose, poetry, journalism and criticism. “Avots” / “Rodnik” was published by the Komsomol (the Central Committee of the Latvian SSR Komsomol) and the Writers’ Union. In its early years, the journal was subject to strict censorship. However, with the onset of ‘perestroika’, censorship pressures eased, allowing the editorial team much greater freedom in shaping the publications’ content and even implementing bold, unprecedented ideas for the time. The journal “Rodnik” published literary works that had previously been banned in the Soviet Union, such as Bulgakov’s “Heart of a Dog”, as well as works by Sorokin and Kibirov. It also introduced foreign literature, including Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”, Kafka’s “The Trial”, Orvell’s “Animal Farm” etc. Additionally, the journal covered crimes of Stalinism, the history of the Latvian state, and featured literature from the Latvian diaspora, along with works by emerging Latvian and Russian-speaking authors in Latvia. In the atmosphere of openness, or ‘glasnost’, “Rodnik” fulfilled a regime-exposing function through publications addressing historical truth. The editorial staff from that time recall that “Rodnik” duplicated approximately three-fifths of “Avots” materials, primarily consisting of translations from Latvian into Russian. In contrast, very little was translated in the opposite direction. The most frequently translated section in “Rodnik” was the journalism section. After the political and economic changes in the free market, financial difficulties hindered the publication of the journal from 1991 onward, ultimately leading to the closure of “Avots” / “Rodnik” in 1992.
In my presentation, I will focus on the strategies for publishing translations in the Russian edition of “Rodnik” in the context of political and ideological regime change, transition, and the formation of democratic practices."

Author

• Maija Burima, Daugavpils U (Latvia)