Cromwell in the Shtetl: Translations of Non-Jewish Literature in Early Hebrew Periodicals for Children

Abstract

This article presents preliminary research on literature translated into Hebrew and published in the early Hebrew press for children. The periodicals under study are Olam Katon (Jerusalem, 1893), Gan Sha’ashu’im (Lyck, 1899–1900) and Olam Katan (Vienna/Cracow, 1901–1904). The article discusses not only what was translated in these periodicals, but also how and why certain pieces were translated. As the majority of the translated children’s literature was written by non-Jewish authors, the author is especially interested in the translators’ strategies of dealing with the sometimes obviously Christian content and how they negotiated the extent of “otherness” to which they exposed Jewish children. In addition to identifying some general tendencies, the author offers a close reading of three translations of stories by Mark Twain, Agnes Giberne and Edmondo de Amicis which serve as illustrations of the discussed problems.