The volume of the journal «Shagi / Steps» (2026, no. 2) will be a special issue on “Archaization and Modernization in Literature”. This volume intends to ask what archaizing or modernizing means in literature and in translation across the world. The editorial board invites contributions on related themes, concepts and debates, from a variety of perspectives. Contributions with a contemporary or historical perspective are equally welcome. 

Time is a constant presence in the world of literature. Authors exist in historical time; their characters live and act in storytelling time, somehow related to the historical one. How do authors of different epochs deal with the signs of time, how do they describe the past and the present? Do they use the stylized language of the past to describe the past or openly modernize the speech of their ancestors? Do they use modern jargon to describe the present or tend to avoid bright colors? Time poses even more problems for translators: what strategy should they choose when translating old texts? Should the language of translation be archaized and, if so, to what extent? Or, on the contrary, should they take the path of deliberate and obvious modernization? In what cases is this not only acceptable, but also effective?

Articles are selected for publication on the basis of an anonymous peer-review system. The deadline for submissions is November 1, 2025.