This study deals with Gábor Devecseri’s approach to translation, one of the most influential and paradigm-setting figures in the history of 20th century Hungarian literary translation. I use examples to show that there is a significant difference between Devecseri’s early and his mature periods of translation. I examine the manuscript materials documenting the background work of the translators, the different variants of Devecseri’s translations, and cite some specific solutions of the translation of the Odyssey in different versions. The study shows that the first edition of Devecseri’s translation of the Odyssey in 1947 can be considered the peak of his translation output, while the later versions of the text lost their natural sound due to constant corrections and the subsequent insertion of certain embellishments.

This study deals with Gábor Devecseri’s approach to translation, one of the most influential and paradigm-setting figures in the history of 20th century Hungarian literary translation. I use examples to show that there is a significant difference between Devecseri’s early and his mature periods of translation. I examine the manuscript materials documenting the background work of the translators, the different variants of Devecseri’s translations, and cite some specific solutions of the translation of the Odyssey in different versions. The study shows that the first edition of Devecseri’s translation of the Odyssey in 1947 can be considered the peak of his translation output, while the later versions of the text lost their natural sound due to constant corrections and the subsequent insertion of certain embellishments.