MICHAEL HOFMANN
Biography
Poet and translator Michael Hofmann was born in Freiburg, West Germany in 1957.
He grew up in England and attended schools in Edinburgh and Winchester. He read English Literature and Classics at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and studied as a postgraduate at the University of Regensburg and Trinity College, Cambridge from 1979 to 1983. Since 1983 he has worked as a freelance writer, translator and reviewer.
Source: British Council
Michael Hofmann has translated work by Bertolt Brecht, Joseph Roth, Patrick Süskind, Herta Mueller and Franz Kafka. Hofmann is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for his poetry and translations, including a Cholmondeley Award, an IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize, an Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize, and a Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Deutsche Akademie der Künste, Hofmann teaches full time at the University of Florida.
Source: Poetry Foundation
Source: National Book Foundation
Translation Version
Bloomsbury Methuen Drama (2006)
This edition was published to coincide with the English Touring Theatre's UK Tour of Mother Courage.
From Bloomsbury: "Translated by the celebrated, German-born translator Michael Hofmann who has won multiple awards for his translation of works from German into English, the stage production was acclaimed for his 'gutsy,colloquial translation' (The Stage)."
"The action of the play ranges across central Europe, from Sweden to Bavaria, spanning twelve years (1624-1636) of the Thirty Years' War, the most destructive war in European history - until modern times" (Bloomsbury).
Other Notable Translations
PARATEXTS
MUSIC
Hofmann chose to preserve the lyrics from John Willett's translation and credits him in the Bloomsbury edition. Compositions for the production in which Hofmann's translation was first used (ETT) were done by Matthew Scott.
Source: Ivors Academy
TEXT/PRODUCTION
IN THE BLOOMSBURY EDITION
- English Touring Theatre
- Director's Note
- Cast, Creative Team, Production Team
- A Plea for Peace
- Bertolt Brecht Biography
- Cast & Creative Team Biographies
OTHER RESOURCES BY HOFMANN
Hofmann discusses how Brecht's work helped him rekindle his relationship with his German background.
Hofmann displays his criticism skills and acquaintance with Brecht's work through his comparisons of multiple Brecht poetry translations.
INTERVIEWS
PUBLISHED
Hofmann discusses his personal views on and approaches to translation.
A slightly-unserious interview with Hofmann, in which he talks about how his heritage lended itself to a career in German translation.
Hofmann explains how he selects works to translate, citing a combination of offers, genuine passion, and clear intentions.
