Olearius’ translation in the context of the early European translation tradition of “Gulistan”

Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify the mechanisms of artistic interpretation of the philosophical, moral, and didactic content of Saadi’s “Gulistan” in the 17th-century European literary tradition, using the German translation by Adam Olearius as a reference. The article focuses on the role of this translation in the transformation of the genre and aesthetic principles of German Baroque literature. The study’s scientific novelty lies in clarifying the nature of the European reception of Saadi’s “Gulistan” in the 17th century using Adam Olearius’s German translation as a basis and providing a systematic literary analysis of Saadi’s translation of “Gulistan” within the context of the poetics and aesthetic principles of 17th-century German Baroque literature. The article examines translation as a literary text operating within a different genre and stylistic system, which allows us to identify the mechanisms of the genre, stylistic, and didactic transformation of the Persian original during its European reception. The study found that the translation of “Gulistan”, written by Saadi in the 13th century, completed by Olearius in the 17th century, was a significant factor in the European reception of Persian classical literature, particularly in the German-speaking cultural milieu. Its influence was reflected in the formation of enduring notions of Eastern literature, characteristic of the early stage of the Orientalist tradition.

Research materials

1. Du Ryer A. Gulistan, ou l’Empire des roses, contenant les maximes et les exemples moraux de Saadi. P.: Antoine de Sommaville, 1634.
2. Gentius G. Musladini Sadi Rosarium politicum, sive amœnissimus flosculorum hortus. Amstelodami: Apud Joannem Blaeu, 1651.
3. Olearius A. Saadi. Persianischer Rosenthal: In welchem viel lustige Historien, scharffsinnige Reden und nützliche Regeln / übers. von Adam Olearius. Schleßwig: Johann Holwein, 1654.

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Author information

About this article

Publication history

• Received: February 16, 2026.
• Published: March 20, 2026.

Keywords

• Адам Олеариус
• перевод «Гулистана»
• литературная традиция XVII века
• Саади Ширази
• европейская рецепция «Гулистана»
• немецкая барочная литература
• Adam Olearius
• translation of “Gulistan”
• literary tradition of the 17th century
• Saadi Shirazi
• European reception of “Gulistan”
• German baroque literature

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