If This Be Magic

£25.00

How do you rebuild a 400-year-old topical joke in a new culture and with none of the same words? How does Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting unfold if they can’t mention pilgrims? What does Taming of the Shrew sound like in a language where every noun has a gender? Why might Hamlet be even longer in Japanese? And why are Lady Macbeth’s pronouns such a problem? What does it mean to translate Shakespeare? When we change all the poetry, all the wordplay, all the syntax – all the words! – is it still Shakespeare? And is it still any good? Daniel Hahn, seasoned translator and Shakespeare fanatic, will change the way you think about language itself. Ranging widely across Shakespeare’s works, and across the world’s languages, this book explores what translators have done and what is possible.

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SKU: 9781805301622 Category: Tag:

Description

Why might Hamlet be even longer in Italian?

How does the story of Romeo and Juliet begin . . . in Thai?

How do you build a joke in German, or recreate a rhyme in Japanese?

And why are Lady Macbeth’s pronouns such a problem?

What does it mean to translate Shakespeare? When we change all the poetry, all the wordplay, all the syntax – all the words! – is it still Shakespeare? And is it still any good?

Daniel Hahn, seasoned translator and Shakespeare fanatic, will change the way you think about language itself. Ranging widely across Shakespeare’s works, and across the world’s languages, this book explores why we choose the words we do and what effect they have.

No knowledge of any particular language is required, though a bit of patience for the nerdiest of close reading is desirable. This micro-attention to detail reveals anew the joy of Shakespeare, celebrates creativity and revels in the power of words.

Additional information

Weight 639 g
Dimensions 24 × 15.9 × 3.4 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback
Pages

416
Language

English
Edition
Dewey

822.33 (edition:23)
Readership

College – higher education / Code: F

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