Irena Tuwim is one of the very few Polish translators who are recognizable by
large readership. What is even more remarkable, she achieved this success as
a translator of children’s literature. Although she is known above all for the Polish
version of A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books, generally considered her greatest
accomplishment, in fact she translated many other children’s books, among them
such classics as the Mary Poppins saga, Edith Nesbit’s books or H. Beecher Stowe’s
Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This article fi rst briefl y outlines Tuwim’s apparently transparent,
yet surprisingly elusive biographical vicissitude, then examines her translation
strategies. It is not easy to decide whether Tuwim’s versions may be defi ned as free
translations or adaptations, but a detailed analysis of her method clearly shows that
her choices were based on a very incisive study of the original text. Although not
without occasional minor errors, her translations are exquisite examples of stylistic
mastery that enriches the target language.
keywords in Polish:
kanon literatury dla dzieci, Kubuś Puchatek, literatura dla dzieci, przekład