A fascinating study into the world of translation and Shakespeare from the award-winning 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?

What does it mean to translate Shakespeare? 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?

Daniel Hahn, seasoned translator and Shakespeare fanatic, will change the way you think about language itself. Ranging widely across Shakespeare's works, and across the world's languages, this book explores why we choose the words we do and what affect they have.

No knowledge of any particular language is required, though a bit of patience for the nerdiest of close reading is desirable. This micro-attention to detail will reveals anew the joy of Shakespeare, celebrates creativity and revels in the power of words themselves.

Details

ISBN13: 9781805301622
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 416
Edition: Main
Publication Date: 28 Apr 2026
Publisher: Canongate Books
Publication City, Country: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 24(H)x15.9(L)x3.4(W)639
Weight (gm): 639

Author Biography

Daniel Hahn is an award-winning translator, author and editor. His translations include novels from a dozen countries, as well as short fiction, wide-ranging non-fiction, children's books and plays. He is the author of Catching Fire: A Translation Diary, and editor of a new edition of The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature. He has been on the board of a number of organisations that work with literature, literacy and free speech. He is currently editing The Penguin Book of Brazilian Short Stories (with Padma Viswanathan) and translating a Mexican novel.

danielhahn.co.uk

Reviews

Learned but cheerful and chatty . . . This is a book that forces any reader to think deeply about the building blocks of Shakespeare's language . . . The tone is that of an enthusiastic professor inviting his students to continue the lecture in the pub -- KATE MALTBY * * Financial Times * *
A deliciously fresh reading of Shakespeare . . . a stirring celebration of the plurality of languages * * Wall Street Journal * *
Hahn's skilled and compelling chapters offer much to savour -- MARGRETA DE GRAZIA * * Times Literary Supplement * *
Hahn is exceptionally associative and alive to the quirks of his subject. His book is a bran tub of interesting topics . . . [Readers] will be fascinated and amused by [If This Be Magic], which is why it deserves to find shelf space well beyond those places where translation is studied -- JEREMY TREGLOWN * * Literary Review * *
This is one of the best books I've ever read about translation, and also one of the best books I've read about Shakespeare. Hahn celebrates and expounds the diverse choices of Shakespearean translators into a vast array of the world's languages, illuminating the almost magical alchemy required to translate 'gold into gold.' This very funny, wise, playfully erudite book will thrill and enlighten anyone with even a passing interest in language and literary style -- EMILY WILSON, translator of THE ODYSSEY and THE ILIAD
The book is a kind of master class in translation, a chronicle of the author's healthy obsession, and a great way to catch up with Shakespeare's work. * * New York Times * *
I've just finished, and loved, If this Be Magic. It's a fresh and vivid way to think about Shakespeare; it's so witty and knowledgeable, so alive to the ways in which language resists reduction. It feels like attending the most fascinating lecture of the term; like learning made swift and sharp and generous -- KATHERINE RUNDELL
A wonderful book, erudite and enjoyable. I love learning new things while having an excellent time. Danny is a brilliant writer -- CATHY RENTZENBRINK
Daniel Hahn is a remarkable translator, writer and editor, a dedicated supporter of literature and knowledge, and he has written this gem of a book which is clearly the outcome of decades of hard work and dedication, and passion, really, for the art of storytelling -- ELIF SHAFAK
A lifetime of love and learning distilled - what a joy and a privilege to read -- LUCY MANGAN