Four Major Plays, Volume II
作者： Henrik
出版社：Penguin 2001年08月
简介：
The translations, created through a fresh approach to theNorwegian original in tandem with a keen sense of Ibsen'stheatricallity and playability, have all been tested and refined inproductions at professional theaters.
The translators have paid particular attention to threeaspects of Ibsen's technique: his wit and humor, his "supertext" -the web of rich allusions and references that he weaves in andaround his dialogue - and the bold theatricallity of the plays. Theresult is an Ibsen that sounds contemporary without being slangy orcolloquial - an Ibsen of strong ideas but also living characters -and surprisingly different from the image of the cold, forbidding"scold of the North" that we often associate with this giantwriter. --This text refers to the Paperbackedition.
【媒体评论】
From Library Journal
Students andtheater artists engaged in either the study or performance ofIbsen's work have traditionally encountered the dichotomy of beingfaithful to Ibsen's intense realism while struggling withconservative and stilted translations. Davis and Johnston, adirector/dramaturg and a professor of dramatic literature,respectively, responded to this inherent difficulty bycollaborating to create new and excellent translations of four ofIbsen's most produced plays: A Doll's House, Ghosts, An Enemy ofthe People, and Hedda Gabler. Standard English translations byMichael Meyer and Rolf Fjelde are comparatively dense andtheatrically thick next to Davis and Johnston's texts. Theirefforts are more forceful, given the production-oriented impetus oftheir original work together. The profanity, for example, foundthroughout An Enemy of the People is not diluted as it is in mosttranslations, but given full vent. Davis and Johnston havesuccessfully translated Ibsen for the contemporary stage, and thismajor work will be of significance to anyone involved with theplaywright's work.?Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This textrefers to the Paperbackedition.
From Booklist
In his time, Ibsen was a radical and freethinker who loved toshock the sleepy bourgeoisie with his art. You would never guessthis from the stuffy, stiff, unspeakably dull translations of hisplays long current in the English-speaking theater. Rick Davis andBrian Johnston attempt to ameliorate this lamentable state ofaffairs with new versions of A Doll's House, Ghosts,An Enemy of the People, and Hedda Gabler. For themost part, they succeed. The immensely readable translations of thelatter two plays in particular are absorbing, exciting, andinspired. Less satisfying is their Ghosts, a play, however,which has long been unsatisfying, thanks to its medicallydiscredited premise that venereal disease is hereditary. All fourof these versions have been "production-tested," which shows intheir graceful and believable dialogue and their sheertheatricality. Davis and Johnston have unlocked the power inIbsen's works and made it clear why Ibsen was once theplaywright for firebrands, Fabians, and other progressivesthroughout the world. Jack Helbig --This text refers tothe Paperbackedition.
