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Translating the Life of Antichrist into German and Czech in the Early Modern Period

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2017

Abstract

Based on a sociocultural and functional approach to the history of translation, this article introduces the Leben Antichristi by the German Capuchin and famous preacher Dionysius of Luxemburg, first published in 1682 at Frankfurt am Main, as an example of the transmission of formerly elite content to a popular readership via its translation into simple vernacular prose. It then discusses possible reasons why three Czech translations of the book, created independently during the eighteenth century and preserved in manuscript, were never printed, although the German version went through twelve editions and similar works by Dionysius's fellow brother Martin of Cochem were among the most often printed books of the Czech Baroque.