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Archived > Not sure how to handle "original title" for translation of ancient plays

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message 1: by Lawrence (last edited Oct 20, 2018 02:19AM) (new)

Lawrence (lawrenceevalyn) | 8 comments It feels odd to me that Grief Lessons: Four Plays by Euripides has its "original publication date" as 2006. Carson translates four ancient Greek plays, Heracles (416 BC), Hecuba (424 BC), Hippolytus (428 BC), and Alcestis (438 BC). Carson is a particularly poetic translator, but there are still Euripides' plays. A similar work, If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho (also a translation by Carson), has 600 BC as its "original publication date".

I am a goodreads librarian but struggled to turn up the relevant policies here. (It seems particularly complicated that Grief Lessons contains multiple "original works".) But, I'd like these two texts to at least match each other. How should they be handled?


message 2: by lethe (last edited Oct 20, 2018 02:28AM) (new)

lethe | 16365 comments The original publication date should be the date of the newest play included, i.e. 416 BC (for Herakles).


message 3: by Lawrence (new)

Lawrence (lawrenceevalyn) | 8 comments Thank you! That makes sense. I've updated it!


message 4: by lethe (new)

lethe | 16365 comments Changed the original titles to Greek :)


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