Subjectivity and translation. The voice of Penelope heard by Margaret Atwood : imitation in English in comparison with its versions in French, Polish and Finnish

The article analyses the triple subjectivity captured in the novel The Penelopiad. The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus by Margaret Atwood, a contemporary Canadian woman writer. The first subjectivity is presented in the very personal account of the history of Odysseus and Penelope by the heroine herself – that is in a very different way than we know from Homer. The second subjectivity lies in the depiction of that ancient Greek woman by a modern English-speaking woman (Atwood as an author) in a modern and a bit feminist way. The third crucial subjectivity is found in the translation of this novel in three different languages (French, Polish and Finnish) – these translations not only show differences in the language systems and cultures, but also subjective choices of translators themselves.