Global Trajectories of Czech Literature Since 1945

Combining large-scale analysis (Big Data) with the qualitative methods of translation sociology and history, this project maps the global circulation of Czech literature in book form since 1945.

To analyse these literary transfers, we develop the concepts of translation channels and individual trajectories. At the same time, we challenge the traditional binary opposition between authorised and unauthorised Czech literature in the Cold War era.

Our team proposes a more balanced, dynamic and multi-layered model that can account for individual experiences and decisions as well as the diversity of Czech literature and international circulation patterns in post-World War II Europe. This model reflects the turbulence of the Cold War and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc along with globalisation and ongoing European integration.

The qualitative studies in this project will examine the links between distant reading and agency- or text-based analyses of translation. Our goal is to provide a new and comprehensive understanding of the recent history of Czech literature in translation. To this end, we will develop innovative digital methods to investigate global literary transfers and systems.

Publications

MIESENBÖCK, Julia: Like-minded agents and established consecrators: Czech-to-German poetry translators, 1948–1989. In Translation Studies, 2023, pp. 282–298; https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2023.2231932.

VIMR, Ondřej: Choosing Books for Translation: A Connectivity Perspective on International Literary Flows and Translation Publishing. In Diana Sanz-Roig & Neus Rotger: Global Literary Studies: Key Concepts. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2023, pp. 279–300; https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110740301-012.

VIMR, Ondřej & ROSIŃSKI, Cezari: Česká literatura ve světě: možnosti mapování ve velkém rozsahu (1820–2020) [Mapping Czech Literature in Translation on a Large Scale]. In Česká literatura LXX, no. 6, pp. 711–734; https://doi.org/10.51305/cl.2022.06.03.

SŁOWIK, Olga: Becoming a Czech literature translator in Poland: the role of trust. In Perspectives. Translation Theory and Practice, 2022, pp. 1162–1177; https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2022.2119875.

VIMR, Ondřej: A computational approach to the history of Czech literature in translation during the Cold War (1948–1989). In Translation Studies [submitted 2022].

MIESENBÖCK, Julia: Jaroslav Seiferts Übersetzerinnen und Übersetzer ins Deutsche [submitted 2022].

GNOT, Anna: Tamizdat translation agent as cultural mediator: an archival exploration of trajectories in the case of Ota Filip. In Translation Studies, 2024, pp. 1–17; https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2024.2360428.

ROIG-SANZ, Diana, FÓLICA, Laura, TORRES, Ester, VIMR, Ondřej: Translation Flows Between Peripheral Languages in the Long Nineteenth Century. In Lieven D’Hulst (ed.): Cultural History of Translation (vol. 5). Bloomsbury [submitted 2021, accepted 2022].

Conference presentations, invited talks, workshops, panels and webinars

VIMR, Ondřej: FRBR, library catalogues, bibliographies… or what do we need to carry out research into literature from a global perspective [workshop: Mutual Learning Workshop for Improving Cultural Heritage Bibliographical Data, 12 October 2022].

VIMR, Ondřej: Obrysy české světové literatury 1820–2020 / Outlines of Czech World Literature 1820–2020 [conference: VI. Kongres světové literárněvědné bohemistiky / 6th Congress of World Czech Literary Studies, Prague, 28 June – 1 July 2022].

SŁOWIK, Olga: Consecration and trust at the beginning of translators’ careers [conference: Advancing Translation Studies. European Society for Translation Studies Congress, Oslo, 22–25 June 2022].

VIMR, Ondřej, ROIG-SANZ, Diana, MIESENBÖCK, Julia: A Global Perspective on Translation Flows [peer-review congress panel: Advancing Translation Studies. European Society for Translation Studies Congress, Oslo, 22–25 June 2022].

VIMR, Ondřej: Reconstructing and Interpreting Large Datasets on Historical Translation Flows. Czech Literature in Translation in 1820–2020 [conference: History and Translation: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Tallinn, 25–28 May 2022].

GNOT, Anna: Multitranslational Dimension of Forbidden Literature –
the History of Translations of Polish Literature in Czech Literary Samizdat [conference: History and Translation: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Tallinn, 25–28 May 2022].

MIESENBÖCK, Julia: Specifics of Czech to German Poetry Translators during the Cold War [conference: History and Translation: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Tallinn, 25–28 May 2022].

SŁOWIK, Olga: Becoming a Czech Literature Translator in Poland: a Trust-based Approach [conference: History and Translation: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Tallinn, 25–28 May 2022].

VIMR, Ondřej: Time Series and Computation Literary Studies. Translation of Czech Literature (1850–2020) [workshop, Helsinki Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities, Helsinki, 24 May 2022].

VIMR, Ondřej: Trajektorie české světové literatury. Big Data Approach / Trajectories of Czech World Literature. Big Data Approach [invited talk, Moravian Library, Brno, 25 November 2021].

GNOT, Anna: Cesta Lojzka Lapáčka z Petlice do Indexu: román Oty Filipa jako medium / Lojzek Lapáček’s journey from Petlice to Index: the novel by Ota Filip as a medium [conference: 50 let od vzniku exilových nakladatelství Sixty-Eight Publishers a Index, Prague School of Creative Communication, Prague, 20 October 2021].

MIESENBÖCK, Julia: Kdo překládá českou poezii do němčiny? Typologie překladatelů a překladatelek české poezie 1948–1989 / Who translates Czech poetry into German? Typology of translators of Czech poetry 1948–1989 [international conference: Světová literatura v Čechách – česká literatura ve světě = World Literature in Czechia – Czech Literature in the World, The Faculty of Arts of the University of South Bohemia, Budweis, 6–7 October 2021].

GNOT, Anna: Ota Filip jako kulturní zprostředkovatel transferu české literatury do němčiny v 70. letech 20. století / Ota Filip as a Cultural Mediator of Czech Literature in Germany in the 1970s [international conference: Světová literatura v Čechách – česká literatura ve světě / World Literature in Czechia – Czech Literature in the World, The Faculty of Arts of the University of South Bohemia, Budweis, 6–7 October 2021].

SŁOWIK, Olga: Jak získat důvěru? Překladatelské debuty v česko-polském kontextu / How to gain trust? Translation debuts in Czech-Polish Context [international conference: Světová literatura v Čechách – česká literatura ve světě / World Literature in Czechia – Czech Literature in the World, The Faculty of Arts of the University of South Bohemia, Budweis, 6–7 October 2021].

VIMR, Ondřej: Trajektorie české světové literatury. Otázky a možnosti výzkumu ve velkém měřítku / Trajectories of Czech world literature. Challenges of large-scale research approaches [international conference: Světová literatura v Čechách – česká literatura ve světě / World Literature in Czechia – Czech Literature in the World, The Faculty of Arts of the University of South Bohemia, Budweis, 6.–7. October 2021].

VIMR, Ondřej: Geographies and Networks: Spatial Aspects of Global Literary Circulation [international symposium: Global Literary Studies: Key Concepts, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, 20–21 May 2021].

VIMR, Ondřej: Managing Translation Flows: Small Literatures in a Globalised Europe [keynote presentation of the symposium: Supplying translation: exploring literary translation as a supply-driven phenomenon, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, 26–27 April 2021].

VIMR, Ondřej: Studying the Middle Ground of Global Literary Circulation [conference: Bridging the Gap Between Traditional and Digital Literary Studies v rámci projektu Network for Digital Literary Studies, The Royal Danish Library, Copenhagen, 27–29 September 2020].

VIMR, Ondřej: Modelling International Trajectories of a Literature. The Case of Czech Literature since 1945 [webinář: Between the Nation and the World. The Role of Translation and Para-Diplomatic Initiatives in the Circulation of Small/Minor/Peripheral/Less Translated Literatures, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, 29–30 June 2020].

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