Jozef Felix’s editorial realisations

Abstract

The article is a continuation of the author’s paper “Jozef Felix’s theoretical contributions to textual studies” (2023) which dealt with the theoretical conception of textual studies as outlined by Jozef Felix (1913 – 1977). Complementary to it, it attempts to capture the practical utilisation of Felix’s theoretical views (the need for careful collation of sources, justification of individual editorial steps, the application of the rule of “the last hand” with regards to the selection of the source text, searching for a space between the rejection of “proofreading deposits” and the rejection of “textological purism” in the linguistic treatment of the text, etc.) in the preparation of reader editions of the Slovak literary heritage. Felix’s editorial work, through which he set textological standards, is examined in the editions of Ivan Krasko’s works in the volumes Dielo ([Works] 1954) and Lyrické dielo ([Lyrical works] 1956) and in the edition of the first volume of Jan Palárik’s Dielo v dvoch zväzkoch ([Works in two volumes] 1955) that contains Palárik’s dramatic works and essays on theatre. Felix as a practical editor seems to have been successful in fulfilling his own requirements and contributed to the limitation of arbitrary and invasive editorial interventions, yet his procedures also seem to have had unintended and unwanted consequences.

Keywords

• jozef felix
• slovenské vydavateľstvo krásnej literatúry [slovak publishing house of belles-lettres]
• textual studies
• editorial practice