ANALYSIS OF TWO BULGARIAN TRANSLATIONS OF THE POEM “DON QUIXOTE“ BY DMITRY MEREZHKOVSKY

Abstract

This article makes an overview of two Bulgarian translations of the poem “Don Quixote” by the Russian symbolist poet, writer, translator and critic Dmitry Merezhkovsky. The poem written in 1887 is a vivid example of the artistic and creative reception of Cervantes' novel in Russia. Its Bulgarian versions reveal the assimilation of the image of Don Quixote in Bulgarian literature by means of translation. The first translation is from the beginning of the XX century and belongs to Dimitar Podvarzachov, and the second is from the beginning of the XXI century and is a creation of Petar Velchev. In the article is made an attempt for a comparative analysis of the two Bulgarian translations – it is traced to what extent the original form, metrics, rhymes and inversions are preserved; as well as whether the ideological and figurative influence of the Russian poem is comparable to that of its Bulgarian versions.