„Wyjątkowo głupie i nieudolnie napisane” – zmagania z autorem, czytelnikiem i nie tylko w paratekstach Roberta Stillera

Abstract

‘OUTSTANDINGLY STUPID AND CLUMSILY WRITTEN’: BATTLES WITH THE AUTHOR, WITH THE READER – AND MORE – IN ROBERT STILLER’S PARATEXTS

The paper is a discussion of Robert Stiller’s paratexts (including prefaces, afterwords, supplements, and acknowledgments) accompanying histranslations. About one hundred paratexts collected from over fifty books were analyzed, with a focus on elements that are unconventional in terms of form and content, and particularly on Stiller’s criticism towards authors, readers, translators, editors, publishers, critics, and institutions. Although the paratexts cited may seem scandalous due to their tart tone, the paper proposes a different interpretative perspective: deprecatory comments are viewed as an expression of concern for the quality of published literature and for the ethical principles in the publishing market. In this context, it seems that even those paratexts in which Stiller  lists his own merits and accomplishments can be interpreted not so much as a sign of pride as a proof of professional integrity. The topics raised in Stiller’s paratexts were also linked to some of the issues important for Translation Studies, including the question of the translator’s competence, their role and responsibility towards the author and reader, as well as the problem of translation series.