Montag, 26. Januar 2026, 11.20-12.50, Raum N.307
Dr. Masha Bratishcheva (Universität Bielefeld)
Link zur Online-Teilnahme
In nineteenth-century Russia, translation served as one of the few pathways through which women could participate in intellectual and professional life. Yet women translators remained largely invisible—unnamed on title pages, excluded from historical records, and unrecognized in the public sphere. This lecture examines how Russian women translators organized collectively to transform their anonymous labour into a visible force for social change.
The Women's Publishing Cooperative (Женская издательская артель), active in St. Petersburg from 1863 to 1879, united women translators, editors, and publishers who worked to bring European literature and scientific texts to Russian readers. This presentation analyzes their translation practices, editorial strategies, and the criteria by which they selected texts—including works by Hans Christian Andersen, Louisa May Alcott, and leading European scientists. Special attention is given to how translation choices reflected both pedagogical goals and broader ambitions for women's professional recognition.
Drawing on archival sources including translators' correspondence and publishing records, this lecture reveals the hidden world of women's translation work: the challenges of relay translation and the strategic decision to publish anonymously under a collective imprint. The case study raises important questions about translator visibility, gendered labor in book production, and the role of translation in shaping public discourse.
Key Translations by the WPC:
- Hans Christian Andersen, Fairytales (1864) — First complete Russian edition, translated entirely by women
- Augustin Thierry, Stories of the Merovingian Era (1864) — Historical scholarship for young readers
- Hermann Wagner, In Nature (1864) — Scientific literature adapted for children
- H.W. Bates, The Naturalist on the River Amazons (1865) — Travel and natural history
- Louisa May Alcott, An Old-Fashioned Girl (1875) & Little Women (1876)
- Florence S. Lees, Handbook for Hospital Sisters (1877) — First professional nursing manual in Russian
- Virginia Penny/Anton Daul, Women's Labor (1869) — Translated and adapted comparative study of women's employment
Dr. Masha Bratishcheva specializes in Russian gender history, book history, and women's intellectual labor in the nineteenth century. Her research recovers the contributions of anonymous women translators and examines translation as a site of gender politics and professional development. This lecture draws on extensive archival research at the Institute of Russian Literature (IRLI), including previously unstudied correspondence between Women’s Publishing Cooperative translators and official publishing records.