German poetry of the 18th-19th centuries in the Siberian periodicals of the 1880s-1910s

A philological approach to the study of Siberian regional culture implies consideration of regional specifics expressed in language and text. One of the largest aspects is the reception of German poetry in pre-revolutionary periodicals. The aim of the article is a comprehensive review of the German poets' perception by Siberian authors, identification of their translation strategies and the motives of text choice for publishing. The results will serve as part of a larger project: the Electronic Encyclopaedia of Siberia. The largest Siberian daily newspapers Sibirskiy vestnik [Siberian Bulletin], Sibirskaya zhizn' [Siberian Life] and Sibirskaya mysl' [Siberian Thought] contain 60 poems: 29 belong to German authors, 10 to French authors, 4 to English authors, and 17 are translations from other languages. The Siberians were mostly interested in the works of German Romantics. The most popular among Siberian translators was Hein-rich Heine: 19 of 29 translations of German poetry publications are devoted to his works. The reception of Heine's works in the Siberian periodicals can be divided into three categories: translations, imitations and pseudotranslations. Siberian translators were also interested in the works of Nikolaus Lenau and Novalis. Also, the reception of F. Bodenstedt's poetic heritage is very significant, because he is shown as a poet, Orientalist and translator of Russian literature. Some German poets appeared in the press only once; nevertheless, their translation strategies and motives of their choice by Siberian authors are of great research interest. So, the Siberian periodicals published four translations of poems by prominent German and Austrian poets G.A. Burger and R. Prutz, translated by Siberian authors, by G. Falke, translated by an unknown author, and G. v. Fallersleben, reprinted from the newspaper Slovo [Word]. These works share a common theme in the spirit of the German Biedermeier and the philosophy of privacy. In the centre of the story is a simple man, his everyday problems and troubles and eternal questions of age, life and death. Among the diverse works of German writers Siberians choose to publish poems with an edificative character. The multifaceted Siberian perception of German poets' creativity is indicative for the detailed picture of foreign writers' reception.

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