Translated Literature As Soft Propaganda: Examples from Occupied Norway (1940-1945)
TRANSLATED LITERATURE AS SOFT PROPAGANDA: EXAMPLES FROM OCCUPIED NORWAY (1940-1945) Ida Hove SolberG* Stockholm University ABSTRACT: Among the cultural fields censored under the Nazi rule of occupied Norway (1940-1945) during WWII, translated literature stands out as the most strictly controlled part of the literary field, censored by the Norwegian Literature and Library Office. Moreover, the Reich Commissariat (the highest German authority in occupied Norway) used the field of translated literature as a site for soft propaganda, here understood as subtle messaging, in contrast to hard propaganda, which is cruder and more heavy-handed. Aiming to investigate how the Reich Commissariat influenced the field of translated literature, this article presents findings from archival research focused on correspondence directly or indirectly involving the Reich Commissariat, taking into consideration textual and contextual features of the books and authors discussed. The article concludes that the Reich Commissariat had various ways of influencing publications of translated literature, being both overtly and covertly involved in publishing processes. KEYWORDS: Soft Propaganda, Censorship, Translation under Occupation, Translation Policies, Occupied Norway 1. Introduction On April 9, 1940, Nazi German forces invaded Norway. The country remained occupied for five years until its liberation on May 8, 1945. During the occupation, the highest-ranking German authority in the country was Josef Terboven, appointed “Reich Commissary for the Occupied Norwegian Territories” by Adolf Hitler on April 24, 1940.1 Terboven’s organization was called the Reichskommissariat (the Reich Commissariat, henceforth RC) and had departments for administration, the national economy, technology, and popular enlightenment and propaganda.2 The latter encompassed most fields of propaganda, such as sports, education, media, arts, and literature.
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