Translating Classical Plays is a selection of edited papers by J. Michael Walton published and delivered between 1997 and 2014. Of the four sections, each with a new introduction, the first two cover the history of translating classical drama into English and specific issues relating to translation for stage performance. The latter two are concerned with the three Greek tragedians, and the Greek and Roman writers of old and new comedy, ending with the hitherto unpublished text of a Platform Lecture given at the National Theatre in London comparing the plays of Plautus with Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The volume is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in staging or translating classical drama.

About the Author
J. Michael Walton is Emeritus Professor of Drama at the University of Hull, UK.

Reviews

Michael Walton is a rare and important scholar in that he has brilliantly united his detailed knowledge of theatre studies with classical scholarship and his work as a translator of ancient drama. His groundbreaking insights into the art of translating classical works for the modern stage have been invaluable to both scholars and practitioners for many years. Now we are able to appreciate the wide range of his vital work collected in this spirited, thought-provoking and inspiring volume.

- Professor Peter Meineck, New York University, USA

... [a] coherent quasi-monograph that testifies to its author's vigorous and rigorous engagement and passion for performance translations of ancient Greek and Roman theatre. It is also an enjoyable read seasoned with humour, serious business balanced out by historical anecdotes, and with an acute sense for live performance.

- Professor Pavel Drabek, University of Hull, UK, in the Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance

• Justine McConnell, University of Oxford

"This would make a creditable and enjoyable volume. The accessibility of the vast majority of essays contained within it gives me some concerns about the sales of the volume, but its quality is not in doubt. A strong, theoretical introduction would also help to assert the value of the book as more than solely a 'collected papers' volume."

• Peter Meineck, NYU

"Mike Walton has been at the forefront of both translation studies and what has come to be known as reception studies for many years now. He is also very much a theatre person and understands the particular issues of theatre production far better than many scholars coming from a philological perspective. His ideas and theories are therefore important to the field and well worth collecting and publishing. So I am overall in complete favour of seeing this work in a collection, however I do have some concerns about the way in which the material is organized and presented. These are highly personal and should not detract from the overall quality of the project ad the material that has been gathered here."

• Alan Sommerstien, University of Nottingham

"I am generally favourable to collections of "Kleine Schriften", and JMW is a translator/director/dramaturge of vast experience; so I started reading the sample chapters with a predisposition to look favourably on the proposal. I was a little disappointed by what I found; these chapters didn't really have very much to say, and some of them showed serious deficiencies in scholarship (see below)."

See folder for authors response.

Book Information
ISBN 9780367875688
Author J. Michael Walton
Format Paperback
Page Count 284
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 530g