Chapter 16
The politics of translation
Textual-visual strategies towards transnational network building in the periodicals of the Czech interwar
avant-garde
Founded in 1920, Devětsil – a Czech group of young leftist artists and poets – set out to create a
distinctly modern avant-garde movement with broad international ties. This was a goal that Devětsil managed to achieve
with remarkable success through a variety of strategies; the scope of its project is perhaps most visible in the case
of its periodicals, which were circulated widely across Europe.
This essay looks at several specific examples of the use of translation and multilingualism, as
well as a “universal” visual language, in the magazines published by the Czech avant-garde in the 1920s, towards a
better understanding how transnational and non-hierarchal modes of network formation were enacted via the periodical
publications of the historical avant-garde.
Article outline
- Text: Multilingualism in Devětsil publications
- Image: Typography as universal language
- Conclusion
-
Acknowledgements
-
Notes
-
References
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