Frode Helland and Julie Holledge (editors): Ibsen on Theatre, with new translations of Henrik Ibsen’s writings by May-Brit Akerholt and a foreword by Richard Eyre

Abstract

Ibsen on Theatre is the third title to be published by Nick Hearn Books in the ...On Theatre Series. It follows Shakespeare on Theatre (2012), edited by Nick de Somogyi, and Chekhov on Theatre (2012), compiled by Jutta Hercher and Peter Urban, with translations by Stephen Mulrine. (n.b. Chekhov on Theatre was published first in Germany in 2004). Ibsen on Theatre (2018) is edited by Frode Helland and Julie Holledge, with translations by May-Brit Akerholt. The premise of ...On Theatre Series is, according to its own tagline, to show “[w]hat the world’s greatest dramatists had to say about theatre in their own words.” (p. ii) This it certainly does, albeit with certain variations of approach across the titles. There is insufficient space here for a detailed comparison of the three but it may be useful to highlight some of these variations. The first concerns language. The ...On Theatre Series is aimed at English-speaking readers so, to state the obvious, whilst the source texts in Shakespeare remain in the original, those in Chekhov and Ibsen are presented in translation. I am a little disappointed that nowhere in Ibsen on Theatre are play titles presented in Norwegian. In Chekhov on Theatre, on the other hand, transliterated Russian versions are offered (“Chaika”, “Dyadya Vanya”, “Tri sestry”, etc. pp. 228–237). The second concerns source materials. Shakespeare left no correspondence so the texts in this volume are drawn primarily from his plays and sonnets, supplemented by dramatic works and reminiscences by others. Chekhov, on the other hand, wrote a