The book is dedicated to Russian translator and scholar Andrei Fedorov (1906–1997), his life, his work, and his impact on translation studies.
Starting from his first publication in 1927, Fedorov researched translation throughout his life, leaving a rich oeuvre that encompassed other research interests, including literary criticism, stylistics, and lexicography; however, it remains understudied in Western European and particularly Anglophone literature, which is partly due to the historic lack of translated primary sources. Fedorov's Introduction to Translation Theory in 1953 was the first comprehensive work in Russian to define translation theory as an autonomous discipline with its own metalanguage, to synthesise theoretical thought on translation, and to establish a conceptual framework for the new discipline. It became known in some Eastern European countries and reached parts of Western Europe at the time, placing him among the most prominent theorists at the start of translation studies as a discipline. This book adds to the knowledge on theoretical works that appeared prior to the starting point of translation studies widely accepted in Western European literature and to the recognition of the scholar whose work was influential for many key contributors to the field across national and linguistic borders.
This book is valuable reading for scholars in translation studies, translation theory, literary studies, and Slavic literature.