Dostoevsky and World Culture

2619-0311 2712-8512

IWL RAS

https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2026-2-291-316

Research Article

Articles

Dostoevsky's Demons in Germany: A History of Translation

Golovacheva

Ekaterina A.

fedor@dostmirkult.ru Sedelnikova

Olga V.

fedor@dostmirkult.ru Baldova

Anastasia V.

fedor@dostmirkult.ru

25 06 2026

1 2 291 316

Fyodor Dostoevsky Demons German cultural reception publishing houses collected works literary translation

2026

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.