Letter to Maurice Parijanine, February 20, 1934

From Militant archives
Jump to navigation Jump to search


The Responsibility of Translators

Dear Comrade Parijanine,

My work on Lenin has not emerged and will not emerge so soon from the preparatory stage. I will hardly be able to give even the first chapters for translation before July.

In no way do I think a translation by you of Bunincould compromise you politically. It's a question of artistic not political literature; and besides, in general, a translator is not responsible in any way for the content of the work he translates; otherwise we would have to make Lenin responsible for the opportunist tendencies of the Webbs.

Thank you very much for sending les Humbles.

With sincere comradely greetings,

Yours, L. Trotsky