Two translations of Jaan Kross' "Keisri hull" : comparison of markers pertaining to the creation of a fictional world

Abstract

The objective of the present thesis is to analyze and compare Anselm Hollo’s and George Kurman’s translational choices of culture-specific markers pertaining to the 19th century Livonia in Jaan Kross’ historical-fictional novel Keisri hull, published in 1978. The two English translations of Keisri hull, called The Czar’s Madman, by Hollo and Kurman were published respectively in 1993 and 1992. Under observation will be culture-specific vocabulary that pertains to the 19th century Estonia. The thesis is divided into sections and subsections. An introduction will be provided with an overview of the novel, the structure of the thesis, as well as the main objective of this thesis. In addition, a brief overview of Jaan Kross as a writer will be presented. Moreover, a chapter will be dedicated to discussing translating Jaan Kross’ novels and what his main characteristics are as a writer of historical novels. The translation analysis will include examples from the first 20 pages, as well as one example from page 37 of Keisri hull which will be compared and then analyzed and further discussed. Finally, the comparisons and findings of the analysis will be discussed in the conclusion.