Translations of A. S. Pushkin’s Works in Turkey. Part 2 (The Period from World War II to the Beginning of the 21st Century)

Abstract

The article is devoted to an exploration of the translations and reception of A.S. Pushkin’s works in Turkey, spanning the period from the end of World War II to the dawn of the 21st century. The authors delve into the profound political, ideological, and cultural transformations within Turkey — including the military coups of 1960, 1971, and 1980 — and their indelible impact on the perception of Pushkin. Shrouded in censorship, these upheavals recast Pushkin as an emblem of revolution and intercultural dialogue. The 1939 translation project by Turkey’s Ministry of National Education, led by Hasan Ali Yücel, prioritized Pushkin’s prose. From 1943 to 1953, eight key works were published, including “Boris Godunov”, “The Captain’s Daughter”, “Belkin’s Tales”, and “The History of Pugachev”. Pushkin’s poetry, by contrast, was hindered by its “untranslatable” myth, ideological straitjackets, and the inherent difficulties of translation, causing it to remain obscure. The narrative highlights the tragedy of Sabahattin Ali, whose work on Eugene Onegin was cut short by his 1949 murder — an act of political terror against leftist intellectuals. During the Cold War, as Turkey joined NATO in 1951, Pushkin became a revolutionary symbol. The article also examines poor translations, highlighting rampant plagiarism after classical literature entered the school curriculum in 2005. This deluge spawned up to forty fake editions of “The Captain’s Daughter”, degrading the fragile ecosystem of authentic translation. Through this lens, the work illuminates the resilience of Pushkin’s heritage in Turkish culture, enduring despite a history of bilateral discord.