Multilingualism and the Observer's Position in Benedikt Kuripešić's Travel Writing

abstract: The account of a highly educated interpreter's journey by land to Istanbul in 1530 provides insights into the German-speaking world's perception of the Ottoman Balkans. Although Benedikt Kuripešić defines himself as German, his writing is embedded in a multilingual framework, with evidence of translation across Slavic and neighboring languages. Accordingly, the boundary often erected in travel writing between observer and observed comes undone. The Balkans are represented as a space of mixedness and in-betweenness, allowing Kuripešić to make his case for a united Christian response in support of the southeastern regions of the Holy Roman Empire threatened by Ottoman invasion.