Naš literaturnyj import [27-01-1930] - [D102]

Concise description of the directive:

Report on the Plenum Meeting of the FOSP Translators’ Section. Lunacharsky: we have to be aware of the new techniques and methods of western literature. Regardless of their content, works can be technically advanced. It is wrong not to learn new literary styles. Our style will be a combination of Soviet revolutionary bravado and American initiative. We must translate not only proletarian literature, but revolutionary literature in general. It is no coincidence that the International Bureau of Proletarian Literature was reorganised into the Bureau of Revolutionary Literature.
Books that are not ideologically correct must be accompanied by commentaries and introductory articles. The comments will help the reader and will not allow him to fall into error.
I. Ionov read a report on the Academia publishing house’s plan to publish translated literature for 1930, noting that Academia would continue to publish masterpieces of world literature. The results achieved in this respect are still insufficient. Academia considers it necessary, while continuing to publish Western European classics from all eras, to also present Soviet readers with the classics of national literatures, primarily oriental ones.
Academia, as well as ZIF, sees the formation of a section of new translators as an important step to support and develop the cause of publishing translated literature. I. Ionov expressed the wish for critical reports on the most important phenomena in Western literature to be presented in the translators’ section.
Comrades Geints-Kagan, Griftsov, Zhivov, Eichengolts, Lunn, Efros, Zaimovsky, Romm and others made critical remarks on the editors’ reports. The speakers pointed out that both ZIF and Academia are now in transition. The disadvantages of past activities, in particular the randomness of choosing works and the use of old translations, are now eliminated.