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 A.M.GORKY INSTITUTE OF WORLD LITERATURE
OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

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fedor@dostmirkult.ru

ISSN 2619-0311 (Print)
ISSN 2712-8512 (Online)

Dostoevsky's Demons in Germany: A History of Translation

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  • Author: Ekaterina A. Golovacheva
  • Information about the author:

    PhD in Philology, Head of Online Education Development Department, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin Ave., 30, 634050 Tomsk, Russia.

    https://orcid.org/0000‑0002‑2744‑8767

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Author 2: Olga V. Sedelnikova
  • Information about the author 2:

    DSc in Philology, Professor, School of Social Sciences, Department of Russian Language, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin Ave., 30, 634050 Tomsk, Russia.

    https://orcid.org/0000‑0003‑3727‑7954

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Author 3: Anastasia V. Baldova
  • Information about the author 3:

    PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Department of Russian Language, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenin Ave., 30, 634050 Tomsk, Russia.

    https://orcid.org/0009‑0005‑9541‑9879

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Funding Sources:

    The study was carried out at National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), project no. 25‑28‑01243, https://rscf.ru/project/25‑28‑01243/
  • For citation:

    Golovacheva, E.A., Sedelnikova, O.V., and Baldova, A.V. "Dostoevsky's Demons in Germany: A History of Translation." Dostoevsky and World Culture. Philological journal, no. 2 (34), 2026, pp. 291-316. (In Russ.) https://doi. 0rg/10.22455/2619-0311-2026-2-291-316
  • Received: 16 July 2025
  • Approved after reviewing: 14 Aug. 2025
  • Published: 25 June 2026
  • Issue: 2026 no. 2 (34)
  • Department: DOSTOEVSKY: TRANSLATION PROBLEMS
  • Pages: 291–316
  • DOI: Visit Website
  • EDN:

    https://elibrary.ru/SYGVAI
  • UDK: 821.161.1.0+821.112.2.0
  • BBK: 83.3(2Рос=Рус)+83.3(4Гем)
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • Keywords: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demons, German cultural reception, publishing houses, collected works, literary translation
  • Abstract: The article provides a bibliographic review of publications characterizing the history of German translations of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Demons (The Possessed), which holds a special place in the European reception of the Russian writer's legacy. It is established that the novel has been translated into German at least thirteen times by thirteen translators, many of whom were recognized specialists in the field of literary translation. In total, these translations have been published at least seventy-four times by more than twenty German publishing houses. Translations by E.K. Razin (E. Kaerrick) (1906), H. Röhl (1921), M. Kegel (1924), W. Jollos (1946), G. Dalitz (1985), and S. Gaier (1998) have become established landmarks of German cultural life. The review also outlines the key trends in German cultural life that accompanied the publication of these translations, along with information about the activities of the translators who played a significant role in the history of the German reception of Demons. The article highlights the special role of major German publishing houses such as Piper, Insel, and Aufbau, as well as the educational projects they initiated to publish collected works of Dostoevsky. The findings are significant for understanding the specifics of the reception of Dostoevsky's legacy in German culture compared to other European countries, establishing the necessary scholarly foundation for subsequent detailed study of the transmission of the novel's key ideological and artistic features within German culture.

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