"Kerickhoff" = Auguste Kerckhoffs in "Švejk"?

Jul 02, 2014 08:24

I'm reading the novel Švejk (in an Esperanto translation) and ran across mention of a book of military cryptography by "Kerickhoff". I wondered if this was a typo and intended as a reference to the real-life pioneer cryptographer Auguste Kerckhoffs (who was also interested in Volapuk), who articulated the important Kerckhoffs's principle. Searching for other translations of the novel in the web, I find e.g. http://www.oocities.org/davidvwilliamson/hasek.html which quotes the cryptography scene and has the same (mis)spelling "Kerickhoff". So perhaps the original Czech novel indeed spelled it that way. Coincidence? Error? Intentional variation of the historical real person's name?

The assiduous Cadet Biegler coughed knowingly.
`May I be allowed to take the liberty, sir,' he said, `to draw your attention to Kerickhoff's book on military ciphering. Anyone can obtain this book from the publishers of the Encyclopedia of Military Science.

Mi legas esperantan tradukon de la romano Ŝvejk kaj trovis mencion pri libro pri milita ĉifrado de "Kerickhoff". Mi scivolis, ĉu tio estas tajperaro kaj celis realan pioniran ĉifristo Auguste Kerckhoffs (kiun interesis ankaŭ Volapuko), kiu diris la gravan "Principon de Kerckhoffs". Serĉante aliajn tradukojn de la romano rete, mi trovis ekzemple http://www.oocities.org/davidvwilliamson/hasek.html kiu citas la ĉifran scenon kaj havas la saman (mis)literumon "Kerickhoff". Do eble la original ĉeĥa romano ja literumis ĝin tiel. Ĉu koincido? Eraro? Intenca varianto de nomo de la historia reala homo?
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