Is a Crime Novel in Translation Capable of Teaching Us History? A Consideration of the Translations of Śmierć w Breslau [Death In Breslau] and Głowa Minotaura [The Minotaur's Head] by Marek Krajewski

Crime novel is considered one of the most important innovations twentieth century in field fiction. Together with cinema, television and “elite” literature which often take over some its features (themes plots), it plays a significant role creating representation reality proposed to readers. The investigation described novels set context refers real world, social, political or historical aspects. realistic dimension crime story makes kind “social document”, attracts attention researchers, including non-literary scholars. Reading allows them acquire strictly literary information, but also knowledge about communities, leads an interpretation relationships between society. In this paper, translated seen as special means enriching reader’s source culture. character work, supposed fulfil primarily ludic function, implies certain tension work translator, who led ask himself: “shall I entertain shall teach”? If realism becomes constitutive feature fiction, if, stated by Maryse Petit Gilles Menegaldo, “under pretext attracting client, intention give him history lesson make think state society”, translator may be bound include translation elements that supplement “encyclopaedic” target reader. analysis based on two Marek Krajewski – his first novel, Death Breslau (1999), inter-war period, featuring German policeman Eberhard Mock, Minotaur’s Head, published decade later, action takes Mock Lwów time when was Polish city befriend commissioner, Popielski. A comparison their translations (eight for book, three second) shows differences treatment component novels, both selected text elements, result translator’s project, peritexts, which, however, usually do not depend publisher.