Lecture on

Religious Philosophy in the Shadow of Communism:

the Story of Kierkegaard Translations

by

Peter Šajda

Professor

Trnava University

Faculty of Philosophy and Art

Department of Philosophy

Place and time:

Budapest, Bertalan Lajos utca 2.

Danubianum 605

May 21, 2024   2:30 to 4:00 p.m.

All interested parties are welcome to attend!

Abstract

The paper presents a case study illustrating the tension between religious philosophy and the programmatically atheistic system of communism. The rise of communism in the twentieth century had a substantial impact on the international reception of Søren Kierkegaard’s religious philosophy. In Communist countries Kierkegaard was generally viewed with suspicion and translation of his works into national languages was discouraged. Some translation traditions were interrupted for long periods of time, other were considerably weakened, still others could be initiated only after the fall of communism. Despite communist efforts to suppress translations of Kierkegaard, the 1990s saw an astounding resurgence of translation activity across the post-communist world. The enduring interest in Kierkegaard’s explorations of authentic religious existence is a testimony to the relevance of this philosophical issue for modernity.