Abstract
Toni Morrison’s Beloved stands as a masterwork of genre hybridity, fusing historical fiction, magical realism, gothic horror, and psychological drama to narrate the trauma and legacy of American slavery. This study investigates the linguistic and cultural complexities inherent in translating Beloved into Russian, focusing specifically on the genre hybridity that characterizes Morrison’s narrative style. The research aims to define the genre-specific features of the novel, identify translation difficulties arising from linguacultural density, and evaluate strategies used in the Russian version by I. Togoeva to preserve the novel’s layered voice.Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative comparative framework that integrates translation theory (Skopos theory, domestication/foreignization paradigms), cultural linguistics, and close textual analysis. Selected passages from the source and target texts are analyzed across textual, functional, and cultural dimensions, with attention to vernacular voice, stream-of-consciousness, and culturally embedded symbolism. Findings reveal that while I. Togoeva’s translation maintains narrative coherence and thematic fidelity, it often sacrifices rhythmic dissonance, vernacular texture, and metaphoric ambiguity. Key elements of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), oral storytelling, and spiritual symbolism are regularized or domesticated, which leads to the loss of cultural specificity and poetic fragmentation. The study underscores the necessity of genre-aware translation strategies that can retain both stylistic intensity and ideological depth.The contribution of this research lies in its multi-dimensional analysis of a genre-hybrid, culturally dense literary text, bridging gaps between literary scholarship and translation studies. It provides practical insights into how translators might navigate the intersection of linguistic fidelity and cultural resonance when handling complex, multi-genre works like Beloved, offering broader implications for cross-cultural literary translation.