Nelu ZUGRAVU, Claudia TĂRNĂUCEANU (Centrul de Studii Clasice și Creștine, Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iași)
EDIȚII DIN AUTORII LATINI ÎN PERIOADA COMUNISTĂ – EXIGENȚE PROFESIONALE, CONCESII IDEOLOGICE
Keywords: Latin authors, Romanian editions, communism, classical philology, ideological concessions.
Abstract: The editions of Latin authors during the Communist period – professional requirements, ideological concessions. Under the communist regime, numerous translations from classical Latin literature were published by various publishing houses in different series, some devoted to educational and cultural purposes, aimed at a diverse audience, in accordance with ideological objectives. In Romania of that period, the publication of Latin authors reveals a coexistence between the professional standards of classical philology and the concessions imposed by the ideology of the time. Nevertheless, the introductions and commentaries influenced by the dominant ideological concepts of the era – particularly the interpretation of ancient works through the lens of dialectical materialism and socialist humanism – do not seem to have been part of a coherent program of reinterpreting Antiquity, but rather had a fragmented character, depending on the publishing context or the nature of the work. Translators and editors made concessions by using terms and expressions that reflected the specific political context of the communist period, such as interpretations referring to “class struggle” or the “ideals of labor.” However, despite this influence, most translations maintain a high professional standard. In many cases, ideological influences did not diminish the beauty and accuracy of the translations, which were crafted in harmony with the literary art and style of the originals. An interesting aspect is the frequency of socio-political terms given modern Romanian equivalents that force the interpretation in order to fit into the official ideological framework. It can be observed that the impact of ideology on these editions underwent different phases: the 1950s and 1960s were the period of maximum intensity of communist influence, when prefaces and notes in the editions strongly reflected political orientations; then, in the 1970s, a relative relaxation of ideological intervention can be noted, which allowed for the publication of more interpretively balanced editions.