Louis Adamic's early days: translator of Croatian literature

Abstract

The article analyzes Louis Adamic's early translation phase that included, apart from his translations from Slovenian, also Croatian literature. His translations had a double function: to help him improve his English and to promote him as a writer. He randomly chose some Croatian short stories which he partly translated and partly adapted. He also did his best to introduce the authors to the American readers. The stories were published in American magazines but Adamic's repeated effort to publish a book of Yugoslav translations sadly failed. In spite of this, he was an important groundbreaker in the field paving the way for other translators who followed in his wake.