TRUE TO LIFE? SOME REMARKS ON A DUTCH TRANSLATION OF JERZY KOSINSKI’S THE PAINTED BIRD

Abstract

Almost six decades after it was first published, the novel The Painted Bird, by the Polish-American author Jerzy Kosinski, continues to attract interest and controversy. The book was widely translated and an analytical comparison of its translation into over a dozen languages was recently published. Noting the absence of Dutch from this analysis, the present contribution aims to provide an overview of De geverfde vogel, the Dutch translation of The Painted Bird. In the first instance, information regarding the circumstances and development of Kosinski’s original novel are outlined. This is subsequently complemented by an overview of the Dutch language as well as the context behind the translation of the book, before relevant aspects relating to the original and the Dutch translation are compared and contrasted.

Keywords: Jerzy Kosinski; The Painted Bird; De geverfde vogel; Holocaust literature; literary translation; Oscar Timmers.