Episode
Daniel Hahn on 'If this be Magic - The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation'
- Podcast
- Harshaneeyam
- Published
- May 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2372
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://harshaneeyam.com/episode/hahn
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Summary
What does it take to carry Shakespeare across languages — not just his plots and his characters, but the very heartbeat of his verse? Today I'm speaking with Daniel Hahn, one of the most celebrated literary translators working today. With several works to his credit, he has translated fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and plays from across Europe, Africa, and the Americas. He is the recipient of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, the International Dublin Literary Award, the Blue Peter Book Award, and the 2023 Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature. In 2020, he was appointed an OBE for his services to literature. Daniel's new book, If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation , is part love letter, part close reading, and part globe-trotting investigation — one that took him from Budapest theatre seats to Zoom calls with translators working in everything from Swahili to Bangla. It's a book that asks: when you change everything, can you still keep everything? published in April 2026 - If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation by Daniel Hahn is a non-fiction book exploring how Shakespeare's plays are translated, adapted, and re-imagined for global audiences. It investigates the challenges of translating Shakespearean language, wordplay, and poetry across different cultures and languages. If you enjoy Harshaneeyam Podcast please follow the show on Apple , Spotify , or your favourite podcasting platform and leave a review for us. It will help truly help us; and don't forget to Share our podcast link with your other friends who enjoy similar content. To help us provide even more value, using the link given below in the show notes to complete our brief Listener Survey . Your feedback is the secret ingred…