Rhoides' unknown translation of Poe's "The Black Cat"

Emmanuel Rhoides

Edgar Allan Poe was introduced rather belatedly to the Greeks. In fact, as I have already mentioned in a number of previous posts, the first Greek translation of his works appeared in 1877 in an issue of Παρνασσός. Poe was made known to the Greeks through the French translations of Baudelaire. Be that as it may, despite the fact that relevant criticism has downplayed the American author's impact on Hellenic letters, Poe did influence many translators and writers. 

One of these was Emmanuel Rhoides. Rhoides never hid his enthusiasm for Poe. Among his many translations, that of "The Black Cat" stands out. This short story belongs to Poe's tales of horror and mystery. As Christina Dounia rightly argues in her 2004 chapter, Rhoides' translation is more of an interpretation rather than a faithful version of the original. After reading the Hellenic version of the tale I quickly realized that Rhoides most certainly had access to the original text, and he possibly ignored Baudelaire's version.

Emmanuel Rhoides (Greek: Ἐμμανουὴλ Ῥοΐδης; 28 June 1836 – 7 January 1904) was a Greek writer and journalist. He is considered one of the most illustrious and reviving spirits of the Greek letters of his time. More on his perspective of Poe's tales, and his contribution to the latter's introduction to Greece, will be analyzed in my future publications.

Works Cited

Dounia, Christina. "Μια άγνωστη μετάφραση του Εμ. Ροίδη: 'Ο Μαύρος Γάτος' του Εμμανουήλ Έ. Ά. Πόε." In Μνήμη Άλκη Αγγέλου (Thessaloniki: University Studio Press, 2014), 493-502