Daniel Hahn: Shakespeare in Translation

Sun, 22 Mar, 2026 at 11:00 am UTC+00:00

Augustine House Library Canterbury Christ Church University | Canterbury

Canterbury Festival
Publisher/HostCanterbury Festival
Daniel Hahn: Shakespeare in Translation
Advertisement
Indulge in the joy of Shakespeare, celebrate creativity, and revel in the power of words themselves with award-winning writer and translator Daniel Hahn.
Why might Hamlet be even longer in Italian?
How does the story of Romeo and Juliet begin … in Thai?
How do you build a joke in German, or recreate a rhyme in Japanese?
And why are Lady Macbeth’s pronouns such a problem?
Daniel Hahn, seasoned translator and Shakespeare enthusiast, will change the way you think about language itself. Ranging widely across Shakespeare’s works, and across the world’s languages, he explores why we choose the words we do and what effect they have.
When we change all the poetry, all the wordplay, all the syntax – all the words! – is it still Shakespeare? And is it still any good?
No knowledge of any particular language is required, though a bit of patience for the nerdiest of close reading is desirable.
Daniel Hahn OBE is an award-winning writer, editor and translator. With over 40 books to his name, his translations from Portuguese, Spanish and French include fiction from Europe, Africa and the Americas, and non-fiction by writers ranging from Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago to Brazilian footballer Pelé. He is a former chair of the Translators Association and the Society of Authors, and on the board of many organisations that work with literature and free speech. Books include the new Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature and the translation of José Eduardo Agualusa’s A General Theory of Oblivion, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2016. Born in London in 1973, Hahn was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to literature.
Books will be sold at the talks and online by The Bookshop at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Buy tickets for two talk events or more and receive a 5% discount on the face value of each ticket.
Advertisement

Event Venue

Augustine House Library Canterbury Christ Church University, Rhodus Town, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2YA, United Kingdom

Tickets

Icon
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Ask AI if this event suits you:

More Events in Canterbury

Mark Haddon: Leaving Home
Sat, 21 Mar at 07:00 pm Mark Haddon: Leaving Home

Augustine House Library Canterbury Christ Church University

The Brass Silent Disco
Sat, 21 Mar at 09:00 pm The Brass Silent Disco

The Drapers Arms

ON REPEAT \u2219 Y2K BABY
Sat, 21 Mar at 10:00 pm ON REPEAT ∙ Y2K BABY

15 Station Rd E, CT12 Canterbury, United Kingdom

ON REPEAT \u2219 Y2K BABY *4 \u00a33 TICKETS LEFT*
Sat, 21 Mar at 10:00 pm ON REPEAT ∙ Y2K BABY *4 £3 TICKETS LEFT*

Club Chemistry

BSPS Area 14 Winter Indoors Ridden Flat Show
Sun, 22 Mar at 09:00 am BSPS Area 14 Winter Indoors Ridden Flat Show

Kent, Surrey & Sussex

Craft fair
Sun, 22 Mar at 10:00 am Craft fair

Chilham village hall

James Cheshire: The Library of Lost Maps
Sun, 22 Mar at 01:00 pm James Cheshire: The Library of Lost Maps

Augustine House Library Canterbury Christ Church University

This Place Meant - destination #6 -St Martin church, Canterbury
Sun, 22 Mar at 01:30 pm This Place Meant - destination #6 -St Martin church, Canterbury

St. Martin's Church

Spring Equinox Sacred Earth Song Circle
Sun, 22 Mar at 02:00 pm Spring Equinox Sacred Earth Song Circle

The Quiet View

SMRARA Great British Spring Clean Litter Pick.
Sun, 22 Mar at 02:00 pm SMRARA Great British Spring Clean Litter Pick.

St Michael's Road, Canterbury , Kent.

Tension Trauma Release Exercise
Sun, 22 Mar at 04:00 pm Tension Trauma Release Exercise

Broad oak Village Hall, 110 Shalloak Road, Canterbury

LOUD WOMEN: Bugeye + Ode To Sleep + Angered Kenneth + Lori
Sun, 22 Mar at 06:00 pm LOUD WOMEN: Bugeye + Ode To Sleep + Angered Kenneth + Lori

18 St Peters Street, CT1 2BQ Canterbury, United Kingdom

Canterbury is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Canterbury Events