Enter Lear. The Translator's Part in Performance (PDF)

What part did translators play in the Polish history of Shakespeare translations? Did they look to Shakespeare only or lean towards the theatre by supplying scripts rewritten for their own time? Did they act as prompters, whispering words into the ears of the actors, or command the stage themselves to tamper with Elizabethan designs? The intricacies of the Polish theatrical reception of King Lear, his triumphs, disappearances and spectacular comebacks, make the play a particularly interesting choice for investigating the relationship between translation and performance. Thus the stage history of the play runs parallel to the efforts of its translators: Jan N. Kaminski, Jozef Paszkowski, Maciej Slomczynski, Stanislaw Baranczak. What did they owe to Shakespeare, and what does our Shakespeare owe to them?

The publication is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 PL (CC BY 4.0 PL) (full license available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode).

Anna Cetera has shown remarkable ease in dealing with complex translation, literary, cultural and textual issues... It is a work of scholarly competence, which has been based on the author’s detailed knowledge of critical literature, appropriate choice of methodological tools, and – or in fact mainly – her historical and literary expertise, as well as analytical skills. It is a highly original book, which brings to the discipline a new methodological model, along with a multitude of literaryand cultural insights.
Prof. Jerzy Limon, excerpts from his review of the book

I know no other study which deals in an equally conscious, comprehensive and interesting manner with translation theory in the Polish practical context... this has been achieved through the author’s use of excellently chosen examples from the Polish history of Shakespeare’s plays, especially that of 'King Lear'. The book also reflects a very popular, worldwide trend in interpreting and constituting the meaning of Shakespeare on the basis of national appropriations of his works, which elucidate the complexities of cultural exchange and examine the structured field shaping our understanding and enhancing our awareness of the multiple aspects of global civilization.
Prof. Krystyna Kujawińska-Courtney, excerpts from her review of the book

Anna Cetera – is Assistant Professor in the Institute of English Studies at the University of Warsaw. She has published on historical and ideological aspects of the Polish reception of Shakespeare in academic journals and thematic volumes.