French Children's Literature in the Hands of Polish Publishers, 1918-2017

French Children’s Literature in the Hands of Polish Publishers examines the role of translation publishers in shaping the reception of foreign literature, with a particular focus on French children’s and young adult literature translated into Polish after 1918. Rather than analyzing the translated texts themselves, Natalia Paprocka centers on the mechanisms of text selection for translation and the socio-cultural factors that influenced these editorial decisions. By examining the scope, genres and themes of literature imported from France over a century, the book highlights how the decisions of translation publishers – embedded in broader historical, political and ideological contexts – have influenced the availability and perception of French children’s and young adult literature in the Polish literary landscape.
Positioned at the intersection of translation studies and bibliological research, the study addresses a long-standing gap in scholarship by foregrounding the agency of publishers in the translation process. By examining both the works that were included in the Polish literary system and those that were excluded through non-selection, it offers a comprehensive account of the publisher’s impact on literary cultural exchange and the formation of translated literature for a young audience.