Esperanto translations of Shakespeare added to the Folger Library
Twenty works of Shakespeare have been translated into Esperanto — some of them more than once. But until recently only one has made its way into the collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library, in Washington, DC, the world’s largest library collection devoted to Shakespeare and his time.
That changed on November 15, 2007, when a delegation from the Esperantic Studies Foundation presented the library with a complete set of Shakespeare translations in Esperanto — 26 volumes in all. The earliest, The Tempest, dated from 1905 and the latest, the ninth edition of Hamlet, from 2006.
The Library already has a copy of an earlier edition of Hamlet, translated by the creator of Esperanto, Dr. L. L. Zamenhof, in the final years of the 19th century.
Esperanto is an international language, designed by Zamenhof as a second language for the world, and used and spoken today by several hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. It boasts an extensive original literature and a large number of translated works by everyone from Dante to Tolkien and from Plato to Freud, and including also large numbers of works from Asian languages.
"This is a valuable addition to our collection. It’s not often that someone brings in 26 volumes none of which we already have," remarked Richard J. Kuhta, the Eric Weinmann Librarian at the Library, who accepted the gift on the library’s behalf. He was accompanied by Georgianna Ziegler, Head of Reference.
"It took us quite some time to find the complete collection," said Humphrey Tonkin, of the University of Hartford, in making the presentation on behalf of the Foundation. "Some were easy to locate, but a few required real detective work. Esperanto books are often published in out of the way places by out of the way publishers, and they take some finding." He hopes that over time the Foundation will be able to add further Esperanto Shakespeareana to the collection, in the form of playbills and the like. Only four Shakespeare plays have been given full-blown productions in Esperanto: Hamlet in Antwerp in 1928, The Comedy of Errors in Bulgaria in 1963, a recent production of King Lear in Vietnam, and (the very first), As You Like It in an outdoor performance during the World Esperanto Congress in Washington in 1910.
Asked about quality, Tonkin remarked that, as one might expect, the quality of the translations varies. Some are quite amateurish, others done with great fidelity to the original and with an eye to presentation on the stage. He should know: he has translated two of the plays — Henry V and The Winter’s Tale — and hopes one day to see them performed.
Tonkin was accompanied by Dr. E. James Lieberman, Washington psychiatrist and author of a biography of psychologist Otto Rank, and Dr. David Gaines, a composer — both of them active users of Esperanto. Gaines’s first symphony (1998), recorded under the MMC label, bears the name "Esperanto."
(Press Release from Dr. Humphrey Tonkin)
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Komentoj
OK, on the issue of public relations...
This is a great press release, and I'm glad that we have it here.
But to whom else should it be sent?
-- Robert L. Read
read &t robertlread point net
Austin, TX, USA
November 21, 2007 de Robert L. Read, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
OK, on the issue of public relations...
I'm not quite sure. I talked with Bill Harris at the E-USA C.O. about the question, and he was considering sending it to several Bay Area newspapers; I would suppose that it wouldn't hurt to send it to, for instance, the New York Times and the Washington Post. But perhaps a better target would be various Shakespeare-ological newsletters. I'm sure some exist, but wouldn't know where to look for them. Google, anybody?
Actually, I've long thought that E-USA needs: (1) somebody to produce occasional press releases; (2) a list of targets (and addresses) for such press releases.
Don Harlow
http://donh.best.vwh.net/esperanto.php
http://donh.best.vwh.net/Esperanto/Literaturo/
November 21, 2007 de donh, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
Press Releases and Strategy
Don has an excellent point here: somebody is needed to write the press releases, and some method of sending such information to appropriate targets is very important.
As for who, in the Shakespeare release, Dr Tonkin has done an excellent job in putting the appropriate elements together. This press release is based on a significant news event. This in ONE release, but I think that Eo merits dozens if not hundreds of news releases per year.
As for method, this is something that really needs to be handled by a pro in the media. The good news is that such a pro does not have to be an currently active, overworked PR agent, but rather it can be someone who is retired and looking for a cause, be it anti-tobacco or pro-protection of linguistic diversity. More good news is that the retired PR agent does not even need to speak Esperanto. I think that many, many such retired people exist, but how to attract them?
Personally I do not know how to get the help of retired PR professionals for Esperanto. But just because we do not know how to do this does not mean that we should not try because the payoff to the Eo movement could be very, very high.
To put it another way, in the last few years, quite a number of big Esperanto trees have been falling in the media forest with nobody around to hear them.
Some Esperantists may object if we look for such PR professionals, retired, outside of Esperantujo. While I respect this viewpoint, I disagree. PR agents do not typically participate actively in the events they represent. I doubt if the agent for Madonna sings to audiences, or if the one-time agent for Muhammed Ali exceled in the pugilistic art, for example.
dennis keefe
www.linguafest.info
www.bekkurso.info
December 21, 2007 de dennis keefe, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
Mr. William Shakespeare Blogged the Press Release...
I did a bit of research, and sent it to the following blog, where Mr. Terry Gray very quickly responded:
Mr. William Shakespeare
read &t robertlread point net
Austin, TX, USA
November 27, 2007 de Robert L. Read, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
the shakespeare blog -- bravo!
Robert,
Quick thinking! Excellent! Out-of-the-box thinking! I went to Mr William Shakespeare's site, and the Esperanto reference is featured loud and clear. Do you want to copy that web page for possible future reference?
dennis keefe
www.linguafest.info
www.bekkurso.info
December 21, 2007 de dennis keefe, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
Dankon!
Bone farite! Estas interese vidi la aliajn ligojn kiujn li aldonis al la anonco . . . detala kaj utila laboro.
Dankon pro la esplorado kaj plusendo.
Lee
November 28, 2007 de Lee Miller, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
Shakespeare en Esperanto
Jen ege interesa evento--la kunfluo de Esperanto kaj sufiĉe grava kultura instituto.
Interesus min vidi kompletan liston de la verkoj, tradukintoj, eldonejoj, eldonjaroj, ktp. Ĉu tia informo estas havebla?
Lee
November 21, 2007 de Lee Miller, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
Shakespeare en Esperanto
Bedaŭrinde, ne, sed mi supozas, ke vi povos ricevi tian liston de la institucio mem — post kiam ili katalogos la ricevitajn librojn.
Mi efektive scias nur pri tiuj tradukoj, kiuj aperis pli-malpli post kiam mi fariĝis esperantisto; ili certe estis en tiu pakaĵo de libroj. Temas, laŭ mia memoro, pri:
Hamleto, Princo de Danlando (L.N.M. Newell, Stafeto)
Otelo (Reto Rossetti, Stafeto)
La tempesto (Kalman Kalocsay, Stafeto)
Somermeznokta sonĝo (Kalman Kalocsay, Stafeto)
Reĝo Lear (Kalman Kalocsay, UEA)
La vivo de Henriko Va (Humphrey Tonkin, UEA)
La vintra fabelo (Humphrey Tonkin, UEA)
Rikardo Tria (John Francis, Kardo)
Epifanio (William Auld, Kardo)
La dresado de la megero (Gerard Jervis, Esperantaj Kajeroj)
Komedio de eraroj (William Auld kaj Simeon Simeonov, ELBiH)
Mi preskaŭ certas, ke en la skatolo troviĝis ankaŭ ekzemplero de "Trojlo kaj Kresida", ĉar mi sendis mian al Tonkin por tiu celo. Mi forgesas, kiu tradukis kaj kiu eldonis (kaj kiam — verŝajne komence de la 50aj jaroj de la pasinta jarcento). Cetere, se temas pri verkaĵoj kaj ne nur teatraĵoj de Shakespeare, preskaŭ certe troviĝis en la skatolo ekzemplero de "La sonetoj", kiun tradukis William Auld kaj eldonis Edistudio. (Noto: "Reĝo Lear" kaj "La sonetoj" troviĝas en la serio "Oriento-Okcidento" — verŝajne Shakespeare restas ĝis nun la sola verkinto, kiu aperis en tiu serio per du verkaĵoj.)
Don Harlow
http://donh.best.vwh.net/esperanto.php
http://donh.best.vwh.net/Esperanto/Literaturo/
November 22, 2007 de donh, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
Listoj de Verkoj
Jen la listo, dank' al Humphrey:
TRANSLATIONS OF SHAKESPEARE INTO ESPERANTO
26 volumes
presented to the Folger Shakespeare Library on November 15, 2007,
by the Esperantic Studies Foundation
represented by Humphrey Tonkin, E. James Lieberman, and David Gaines
Antony and Cleopatra
1947. Antonio kaj Kleopatro, tr. Stephen A. Andrew. Rickmansworth, England: Esperanto Publishing Company.
As You Like It
1910. Kiel Plaĉas al Vi, tr. Ivy Kellerman. Washington, DC: Sesa Internacia Kongreso de Esperanto.
The Comedy of Errors
1987. La Komedio de Eraroj, tr. William Auld & Asen M. Simeonov. Glasgow: Kardo / Sarajevo: ELBiH.
Hamlet
1909. Hamleto Reĝido de Danujo, tr. L. Zamenhof. 5th edition. Paris: Hachette.
1964. Hamleto Reĝido de Danujo, tr. L. Zamenhof. 8th edition, ed. D. B. Gregor. Marmande: Éditions Francaises d’Espéranto.
1964. Hamleto Princo de Danujo, tr. L. N. M. Newell. La Laguna: Régulo.
2006. Hamleto Reĝido de Danujo, tr. L. L. Zamenhof. 9th edition, ed. D. B. Gregor. Afterword Humphrey Tonkin. Rotterdam: Universala Esperanto-Asocio.
Henry V
2003. La Vivo de Henriko Kvina, tr. Humphrey Tonkin. London: Universala Esperanto-Asocio.
Julius Caesar
1906. Julio Cezaro, tr. D. H. Lambert. London: Brita Esperantista Asocio.
King Lear
1924. La Tragedio de Reĝo Lear, tr. A. L. Curry & A. J. Ashley. Huddersfield.
1966. Reĝo Lear, tr. Kálmán Kalocsay. Rotterdam: Universala Esperanto-Asocio.
Macbeth
1908. Makbeto, tr. D. H. Lambert. Paris: Hachette.
The Merchant of Venice
1914. La Venecia Komercisto, tr. Alfred E. Wackrill. London: Brita Esperantista Asocio.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
1947. La Gajaj Edzinoj de Windsor, tr. Stephen A. Andrew. Rickmansworth, England: Esperanto Publishing Company.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1920. Sonĝo de Someromeza Nokto, tr. Louise Briggs. London: Brita Esperantista Asocio.
1967. Somermeznokta Sonĝo, tr. Kálmán Kalocsay. La Laguna: Régulo.
Othello
1960. La tragedio de Otelo, tr. Reto Rossetti. La Laguna: Régulo.
Richard III
1980. Rikardo Tria, tr. John Francis. Glasgow: Kardo.
Romeo and Juliet
1945. Romeo kaj Julieto, tr. Stephen A. Andrew. Rickmansworth, England: Esperanto Publishing Company.
The Sonnets
1981. The Sonnets / La Sonetoj, tr. William Auld. Bilingual edition. Pisa: Edistudio.
The Taming of the Shrew
1988. La Dresado de la Megero, tr. Gerald C. Jervis, ed. Reto Rossetti. Rotterdam: Esperantaj Kajeroj.
The Tempest
1905. La Ventego, tr. Achille Motteau. London: The Esperantist
1970. La Tempesto, tr. Kálmán Kalocsay. La Laguna: Régulo
Troilus and Cressida
1952. Trojlo kaj Kresida, tr. Stephen A. Andrew. Rickmansworth, England: Esperanto Publishing Company.
Twelfth Night
1980. Epifanio, tr. William Auld. Glasgow: Kardo.
The Winter’s Tale
2006. La Vintra Fabelo, tr. Humphrey Tonkin. Rotterdam: Universala Esperanto-Asocio.
November 23, 2007 de Lee Miller, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago
Pri bibliografio
Nu, eble mi enketos rekte ĉe Humphrey, ĉu li havas bibliografion de la donacitaj verkoj, kiun li permesus uzi ĉi tie.
Mi eĉ ne pensis pri la Sonetoj, sed prave, tiu grava volumo devus esti en la listo.
Krom tiuj en via listo, mi havas jenajn:
*Antonio kaj Kleopatro (Andrew, Esperanto Publishing Company,1947)
*Romeo kaj Julieto (Andrew, Esperanto Publishing Company, 1945)
*Trojlo kaj Kresida (Andrew, Esperanto Publishing Company, 1952)
*La Venecia Komercisto (Wackrill, British Esperanto Association, 1914)
Ne forgesu ke devus esti 2 "Hamletoj" en la listo por inkluzivi tiun de Zamenhof mem.
Amikeme,
Lee
November 22, 2007 de Lee Miller, 4 jaroj %count semajnoj ago