Matej Bel Award Presented to Scholars from the Institute of World Literature of the SAS
Literary scholars Katarína Bednárová, Mária Kusá and Silvia Rybárová from the Institute of World Literature of the Slovak Academy of Sciences have received the Matej Bel Award for their outstanding lexicographical contribution to translation history, the Dictionary of Translators: Humanities and Cultural Studies (Veda, Publishing House of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, 2024). The prestigious Literary Fund award was presented during a ceremony held on Wednesday, June 24, at Zichy Palace. The dictionary highlights the people behind literary translation, placing their work within a broader historical and cultural context while recognising the indispensable role translators play in shaping cultural life.
Katarína Bednárová, Mária Kusá and Silvia Rybárová served as editors of this comprehensive collective publication, which is available both in print and as an open-access online resource. Through biographical profiles of nearly one hundred translators and selected bibliographies, the Dictionary of Translators: Humanities and Cultural Studies provides a comprehensive overview of the translation and publication of major works in philosophy, sociology, history, literary studies and art history in Slovakia, covering the period from the interwar years of the twentieth century to the 2020s.
The publication builds on a series of collaborative research projects devoted to the translation of humanities and social sciences texts, their history and the translators who shaped this field. Literary scholars led these projects, and translation studies specialists Katarína Bednárová and Mária Kusá, both of whom also contributed introductory studies on the contemporary context of translation in the humanities and cultural studies.
“The dictionary is the result of long-term research into translation theory and history, bringing together different institutions and researchers throughout both the research process and its outcomes,” recalls Professor Mária Kusá. “Building on our experience with the two-volume Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Slovak Literary Translators published a decade ago, we decided to continue writing the history of translation by placing its principal protagonists, the translators themselves, at the centre of the narrative.”
Professor Katarína Bednárová added: “We believe that our dictionary will serve as a valuable resource for both study and research. At the same time, it outlines the unique history of the reception of humanities and social sciences literature in Slovakia.”
The significance of the publication was also highlighted by its reviewer, Dr Bohumila Ferenčuhová, who noted:“Taken as a whole, the dictionary represents an important resource for anyone studying, or simply interested in, the history of Slovak culture.”
The Institute of World Literature of the Slovak Academy of Sciences also received the Matej Bel Award in 2025, when Róbert Gáfrik was honoured for producing the first Slovak translation of the ancient Indian Upanishads directly from Sanskrit.
Prepared by: Jana Cviková, Institute of World Literature of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
Photo: Archive of the Institute of World Literature of the Slovak Academy of Sciences