Недотыкомка is a symbol-word in the Russian literature of the Silver Age, meaning ubiquitous evil, according to the modernist world view, constituting the nature of existence. In this paper we demonstrate how the translation of this untranslatable word has influenced the perception of a literary work. We focus mainly on the poem Недотыкомка серая… (1905), the title of which in Wiktor Woroszylski’s translation is Niepochwytnica szara… (1971), while in the translation by Włodzimierz Słobodnik – Niedoruszajka szara… (1971) and in the novel Мелкий бес (1905), where this fulfils an important function (in René Śliwowski’s translation of 1973 – the name of this creature is Niedotkniątko). We examine what role the character of niedotykomka has in the discussed novels and we analyze the impact translation strategies have on the image of a fictional universe as well as a lyrical situation (i.e., the change of the feminine grammatical form in the character’s name into a grammatically neuter one).

This article presents an analysis of the Polish translation of the first poem from the series of six poems Звезда Маир (1898) by Fiodor Sologub and here in the translation by Witold Dąbrowski, Gwiazda Mair. Our task is to analyze the translation and trace to what extent the translator reflected the specificity of the lyrical situation presented in the original, and to what extent its image in the translation has changed. In addition, the focus was on translating the author’s proper names, reflecting Sologub’s creation of paradise, in order to show how specific translation activities affect the recipient’s perception of the lyrical situation shown in the poem. The rhythmic organization of the poem and the arrangement of rhymes in the original and in translation were also examined. It was shown to what extent the translators managed to reflect the hidden meanings and meaning‐creating symbols, so important for this Russian symbolist.

The works of Fyodor Sologub, unlike most Russian symbolists, such as Alexander Blok, are described by researchers and contemporary writers (Vladyslav Khodasevich and others) as ‘static’, alien to the idea of path, evolution. The aim of the article is to break this academic stereotype and thought patterns about the author of The Little Demon. Analysis of the research material: critical literary statements and selected poems by the poet, allows us to notice his spiritual and aesthetic evolution. Firstly: in fulfilling his artistic vision, Sologub not only does not “tread water” (“topchetsya na odnom meste”, as Leo Shestov stated), but, as Maria Cymborska‑Leboda writes, his poetic thought remains in motion, i.e. there are noticeable ‘points’ on his artistic way, to which he reaches. Thus, in the words of the mentioned researcher, in a certain sense, like Blok, he is a ‘path poet’, while remaining faithful to himself – his ‘sweet dream’ (paradise). Secondly: the interpretation of the symbol of the ‘path’ and related concepts that fit within the semantic field of the poet’s works point to the biblical sources of his thinking – the author’s lyrical subject often takes the form of a pilgrim, a wanderer traversing the ‘desert of life’, struggling with the world (мироборчество), he conducts a dialogue, often turning into a dispute with the Creator (богоборчество). This dialogue, subjected to reflection in the article, is interpreted as one of the manifestations of the spiritual growth of the lyrical hero and the poet himself (the vertical and existential dimension of the concept – homo viator).