SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Semyon Lipkin (1911–2003) was one of the Soviet Union's most productive and visionary translators. In addition to introducing Russian readers to Persianate literary traditions and to the oral epics of the indigenous peoples of Central Asia and the Caucasus, he produced original literary works inspired by his translating activities. At considerable political risk to himself, Lipkin activated translation's potential to stimulate cultural change. He countered the ethnic nationalism that dominated Soviet policy with an ethics of translational difference. This essay shows how Lipkin's approach to translation relates to his vision of world literature. A translated extract from Lipkin's autobiography, provided in a supplementary file online, gives his own account of his tribulations and accomplishments.