Long live the translator!

Anatolij Nehaj – one of the Russian ambassadors of Agnieszka Osiecka

Abstract

This article introduces Anatolij Nehaj, who, through his work as a translator and popularizer, can be considered an ambassador of Agnieszka Osiecka's work in Russia. The starting point for presenting his biography and showcasing his translation practice is a detailed analysis of the two texts: the original ‘Niech żyje bal’ and its translation ‘Славься, наш бал’. Following Nehaj's guiding principle of creating a melic translation, the main focus, alongside conveying the original meaning, was the faithful reproduction of the song’s melodic line. This approach ensures that the resulting song can be performed naturally – a feature that applies to all the songs he translated.

Establishing contact with the translator allowed us not only to resolve specific issues related to this particular translation, but also to gain valuable reflections on the translation process in general, expressed through culinary and mosaic metaphors. Furthermore, the conversation provided insights into his childhood and youth, including an episode with the windmill, where Nehaj recognized the difference in emotional resonance between the Ukrainian ‘Прощавай, млыне!’ and the Russian ‘Прощай, мельница!’. This, in turn, traces his path from the initial awareness of the non-equivalence of languages to his interest in Poland and the Polish language (during his stay at a dormitory), as well as to his first translations and subsequent publications.

Additionally, the article includes two postscripts. The first recounts how, in early 2025, Anatolij Nehaj discovered his doppelgänger, the Russian poetry translator Andrzej Lewandowski, leading to their collaboration on translations and publications. The second presents two poems by Agnieszka Osiecka, both in the original and in Nehaj’s translation, addressed to Bulat Okudzhava, illustrating the Polish side of their poetic dialogue.