Member Since:
May 12, 2013
William Dominik
Smashwords book reviews by William Dominik
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Germanicus
on June 12, 2013
Claassen's translation of the original Afrikaans drama Germanicus into English is a significant achievement. I am impressed with both the poetic feel of the translation and the helpful introduction. I have long thought it unfortunate that this and other Afrikaans plays derived from the classical world did not have a wider audience through their translation into English. With her bilingual ability, expertise in the classical world and sensitivity to poetic verse form, Claassen is the ideal scholar-translator to bring these important Afrikaans dramas based on classical elements to life in English. Claassen has translated the original Afrikaans verse of Germanicus line by line into English verse, an approach that I wholeheartedly support. Given the sensitivity of Claassen's translation, much can be gained by following her English translation line by line along with the original Afrikaans text. The publication of this play in English will attract the attention of scholars in the booming field of classical reception. Up until now the Germanicus has not been accessible to much of the international scholarly community. The publication of Claassen's translation will help to draw attention not only to this sorely neglected drama but also to other Afrikaans plays based on classical elements that await translation into English.