Социология на литературата

The paper analyzes the place and the social roles allotted to intellectuals in post-totalitarian societies, with a special focus on the Czech situation. From the sources relevant to the topic, the choice here falls on Václav Havel’s public speeches since they offer particularly rich study material. Attention is paid to the political, social, and cultural contexts that have served as a stimulus for each of the analyzed texts, as well as the intention, implicit in them, to model the environment in which they are to function. The paper also touches upon the themes of historical and cultural memory, personal choice, the intellectuals’ resignation, and the sense of cultural isolationism, among others.

The article outlines the international discussions surrounding the evaluation of research to demonstrate the evolution of the concept of "impact" – from impact solely as a contribution to knowledge, through impact as a contribution to knowledge and the economy, to impact as a contribution to knowledge, the economy, and society. It discusses two approaches to evaluating societal impact and analyses the current state of research evaluation in Bulgaria. In conclusion, the argument is made that societal impact should be systematically evaluated also in Bulgaria.

The article examines the unfinished final chapter of Tzvetan Stoyanov’s “The Genius and His Mentor” in light of a recent claim according to which Smerdyakov is not the actual perpetrator of the murder in “The Brothers Karamazov.” How will our understanding of Dostoevsky’s incomplete novel change – if at all – in the case that it turns out that its plot incorporates not only a judicial error but also a cunning trap for its readers, that is, an intended readerly error? Stoyanov’s analysis, which is also a dramatic “novel about the novel,” brings the problem of doubles in Dostoevsky’s work and the splitting in the psychoanalytic sense of the word (Spaltung) to the forefront. At the same time, it constantly renews the question, “Who killed our father?”

The article examines the translation of novel titles containing quotations from the Shakespearean corpus. The quotation title is considered as both paratext and intertext. Translators’ approaches to the rendering of titles with Shakespearean intertext in different target languages are compared, with a particular focus on Bulgarian examples. The aim of the study is to search for characteristic solutions in translations that deserve to be discussed. The article proposes and problematizes three translation strategies: the search for dynamic equivalence, neutralization, and compensation. The collected data, which do not claim to be exhaustive, are presented in tables, followed by analytical comments. Rather than presupposing conclusions, the comparative analysis interprets the data as they are.

The reception of Cervantes’ work in Bulgaria is a complex process that has continued for over a century and a half. An interesting case and integral part of the latter is represented by the “Novels,” which have remained in the shadow of “Don Quixote” in terms of the quantity and quality of their translations, the critical approach to them, and their artistic assimilation. The study traces their gradual entry into the Bulgarian literary context, focusing on their early translations from the 19th century, made through the mediation of the French language, the 1976 edition of two of the novels, and the only complete edition from 2004. A significant part of the analysis is devoted to the translation strategies used in the recreation of semantically charged names, metaphors, realia, archaic elements, stylistic choices, proverbs, and idioms

The article, part of a larger study, provides the first accurate reconstruction of the funeral of Pencho Slaveykov, which was held on June 1/14, 1912, in Brunate (Italy). The text, based on rich archival and documentary material (memoirs, press articles, archival sources), aims to theoretically substantiate the heuristic of the scientific approach to such “marginal” micro-plots. It demonstrates that the funeral of Pencho Slaveykov in Italy was conceived as a fulfillment of the poet’s unspoken will and a merging with the “solemn psalm of the entire universe” (“Psalm of the poet”). At the same time, the article shows how the burial of the renowned author could be interpreted as a supreme expression of mercy and a manifestation of Bulgarian-Italian reciprocal understanding and friendship.

This analysis is a contribution to the study of the phenomenon of the Orange Alternative protest-art movement. It interprets the literary work “Six Short Stories” as a supplement to the programmatic texts of the latter. In the research, the significance of the movement against the background of European avant-garde currents and the ideas of the “Manifesto of Socialist Surrealism” are briefly presented. Moreover, the study outlines the profile of its creator, Waldemar “Major” Fydrych. The article also shows the most important themes that appear in the texts: “Manifesto of Flowers,” “Mars Amandi,” “Dawn,” and “Opera for 44 Pieces of Silver.” In particular, their several surrealist aspects are highlighted.