CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Rasmi Binoy |
|---|---|
| Title | KERALA'S 'PROGRESS'-IVE IDIOM: Moscow Translators and translation of children's literature as socialist intermediary in Kerala |
| Summary | This thesis examines the life and work of the prominent Malayalam translators, K. Gopalakrishnan and Omana, who were associated with Progress Publishers in Moscow, referred to as “Moscow translators”, from 1966 to 1991. The study views translation as a socialist intermediary that sought to foster socialist education amongst the readers of Kerala. Employed by Progress Publishers and driven by the mission of spreading socialist ideals among the masses in Kerala, a state in southwestern India, the couple translated 192 books. The thesis delves into the life and times of these socialist intermediaries against the backdrop of the Soviet internationalist era when Kerala, the most literate state in India, embarked on a journey of socialist development. Examining the translated works of children’s writer Arkadi Gaidar and their impact on Malayalam readers, the thesis also seeks to know whether these translations led to a “political pasteurization,” as described by Serguei Oushakine in the context of early Soviet children’s literature, within Kerala. Contrary to “normalizing” the dynamism of the revolution and the Soviet spirit, this thesis argues that the Malayalam translations kept the revolutionary spirit alive, retaining its vibrancy and emotional impact, through the literary quality of the works under survey and evidenced by their continued resonance in the Kerala society. |
| Supervisor | Shaw, Charles |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/binoy_rasmi.pdf |
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