Russisches für die Insel-Bücherei.Zum Übersetzungskonzept Alexander Eliasbergs im Spiegel der Verlagskorrespondenz

Based on the correspondence between the translator Alexander Eliasberg (1878–1924) and the German publishing house Insel-Verlag this paper explores the social, material and mental dimensions of their relationship from the point of view of cultural semiotics. Understanding the culture of translation as a semiosphere (according to Jury Lotman’s definition) furthers the insight into the dynamics and the (historical, sociocultural) conditions of the process of Russian-German cultural mediation. It also allows us to draw conclusions on Eliasberg’s concept of translation and the role of translation as a medium. One of Eliasberg’s translations from Tolstoy for the book series Insel-Bücherei, published in 1913, serves as an example.