List of Holberg's plays in English translation

Ludvig Holberg, the "Molière of the North",[1][2] wrote 33 Danish comedies between 1722 and 1753 — 15 of them ("the foundation for the entire Danish theatre"[3]) in a span of less than 18 months in 1722 and early 1723.[3]

Ludvig Holberg

In his long career, nominally in education, Holberg produced works in philosophy, law, finance, and history; essays, satirical verse, biographies, memoirs, and an early science fiction utopia.[4] However, his comedies have brought him the widest and most lasting acclaim.[5][1][6] Despite this, no English translations of Holberg's comedies were made during his lifetime, and only 4 in the 19th century. In the 20th century many translations appeared (including 14 published by The American-Scandinavian Foundation). Now at least 39 English translations are available representing 20 of Holberg's 33 comedies. Jeppe on the Hill — his "most popular and most discussed play"[7] — is also the most frequently translated, followed by Erasmus Montanus.

Translations

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  • Danish Title — The original play that serves as the basis of the English text.
  • English Title — The title of the English text, as it appears in the given translation. Because one Danish title may be published under various English titles, sorting by this column is not a reliable way to group all translations of a particular original together; to do so, sort on Danish Title.
  • Year — The year of the translation's first publication. Some translations may have been written or produced earlier than this date, and some have been republished subsequently, but this is not noted here.
  • Publication — The publication in which the translation first appeared. These short titles are linked to their full bibliographic entries.

Table

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Danish Title English Title Year Translator Publication Notes
Mester Gert Westphaler The Babbling Barber 1827 M. Corbett The Odd Volume 1 act; reduced by Holberg himself from its original 5 acts.
Erasmus Montanus eller Rasmus Berg Erasmus Montanus 1871 Peter Toft Fraser's Magazine 5 acts.
Erasmus Montanus eller Rasmus Berg Erasmus Montanus, or Rasmus Berg 1885 T. Weber Erasmus Montanus, or Rasmus Berg 5 acts.
Den Politiske Kandestøber The Blue-apron Statesman 1885 T. Weber The Blue-apron Statesman 5 acts.
Jeppe på bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde Jeppe on the Hill, or The Transformed Peasant 1906 Waldemar Westergaard & Martin B. Ruud Jeppe of the Hill 5 acts.
Den Stundesløse Scatterbrains 1912 H. W. L. Hime Three Comedies 3 acts.
Diderich Menschenskraek Captain Bombastes Thunderton 1912 H. W. L. Hime Three Comedies 1 act. Translated as 3 acts.
Henrich og Pernille Henry and Pernilla 1912 H. W. L. Hime Three Comedies 3 acts.
Den Politiske Kandestøber The Political Tinker 1914 Oscar James Campbell & Frederick Schenck Comedies 5 acts.
Jeppe på bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde Jeppe of the Hill 1914 Oscar James Campbell & Frederick Schenck Comedies 5 acts.
Erasmus Montanus eller Rasmus Berg Erasmus Montanus 1914 Oscar James Campbell & Frederick Schenck Comedies 5 acts.
Jeppe på bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde Jeppe of the Hill 1933 M. Jagendorf World Drama 5 acts.
Den vægelsindede The Weathercock 1946 Henry Alexander Four Plays 3 acts.
Den Stundesløse The Fussy Man 1946 Henry Alexander Four Plays 3 acts.
Mascarade Masquerades 1946 Henry Alexander Four Plays 3 acts.
De Usynlige The Masked Ladies 1946 Henry Alexander Four Plays 3 acts.
Mester Gert Westphaler The Talkative Barber 1950 Henry Alexander Seven One-act Plays 1 act; reduced by Holberg himself from its original 5 acts.
Det Arabiske Pulver The Arabian Powder 1950 Henry Alexander Seven One-act Plays 1 act.
Julestuen The Christmas Party 1950 Henry Alexander Seven One-act Plays 1 act.
Diderich Menschenskraek Diderich the Terrible 1950 Henry Alexander Seven One-act Plays 1 act.
Den pantsatte Bondedreng The Peasant in Pawn 1950 Henry Alexander Seven One-act Plays 3 acts. Translated as 1 act.
Den Forvandlede Brudgom The Changed Bridegroom 1950 Henry Alexander Seven One-act Plays 1 act.
Sganarels Rejse til det philosophiske Land Sganarel's Journey to the Land of the Philosophers 1950 Henry Alexander Seven One-act Plays 1 act.
Jeppe på bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde The Transformed Peasant 1957 Reginald Spink Three Comedies 5 acts. Translated as 3 acts.
Det Arabiske Pulver The Arabian Powder 1957 Reginald Spink Three Comedies 1 act.
Kildereisen The Healing Spring 1957 Reginald Spink Three Comedies 3 acts. Translated as a prologue & 1 act.
Erasmus Montanus eller Rasmus Berg Erasmus Montanus 1989 Petter Næss Erasmus Montanus 5 acts.
Den Politiske Kandestøber The Political Tinker 1990 Gerald S. Argetsinger & Sven Hakon Rossel Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies 5 acts.
Jean de France eller Hans Frandsen Jean de France; or, Hans Frandsen 1990 Gerald S. Argetsinger & Sven Hakon Rossel Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies 5 acts.
Jeppe på bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde Jeppe of the Hill; or, The Transformed Peasant 1990 Gerald S. Argetsinger & Sven Hakon Rossel Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies 5 acts.
Ulysses von Ithacia Ulysses von Ithacia; or, A German Comdey 1990 Gerald S. Argetsinger & Sven Hakon Rossel Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies 5 acts.
Erasmus Montanus eller Rasmus Berg Erasmus Montanus; or, Rasmus Berg 1990 Gerald S. Argetsinger & Sven Hakon Rossel Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies 5 acts.
Julestuen The Christmas Party 1990 Gerald S. Argetsinger & Sven Hakon Rossel Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies 1 act.
Pernilles korte Frøkenstand Pernille's Brief Experience as a Lady 1990 Gerald S. Argetsinger & Sven Hakon Rossel Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies 3 acts.
Den Danske Comoedies Liigbegængelse The Burial of Danish Comedy, with Thalia's Farewell Speech 1990 Gerald S. Argetsinger & Sven Hakon Rossel Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies 1 act.
Jeppe på bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde Jeppe of the Hill 1999 Michael Leverson Meyer Three Danish Comedies 5 acts.
Den Stundesløse The Scatterbrain 1999 Michael Leverson Meyer Three Danish Comedies 3 acts.
Jeppe på bjerget eller den forvandlede Bonde Jeppe of the Hill 2020 Bent Holm & Gaye Kynoch Plays: 1 5 acts.
Ulysses von Ithacia Ulysses von Ithacia 2020 Bent Holm & Gaye Kynoch Plays: 1 5 acts.
Erasmus Montanus eller Rasmus Berg Erasmus Montanus 2022 Bent Holm & Gaye Kynoch Plays: 2 5 acts.
Hekseri eller Blind alarm Witchcraft, or False Alarm 2022 Bent Holm & Gaye Kynoch Plays: 2 5 acts.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Argetsinger 1983, p. 4.
  2. ^ Holberg 1957, p. 1.
  3. ^ a b Holberg 1990, p. xxv.
  4. ^ Campbell 1914, p. 4.
  5. ^ Vinje 2017, p. 227.
  6. ^ Campbell 1914, p. 3.
  7. ^ Holm 2017, p. 145.

English translations

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Drama collections

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  • Three Comedies. Translated by Hime, H(enry) W(illiam) L(ovett). London: Longmans, Green and Co. 1912. OCLC 6079882.
  • Comedies by Holberg: Jeppe of the hill, The Political Tinker, Erasmus Montanus. Translated by Campbell, Oscar James; Schenck, Frederick. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation. 1914. OCLC 477029781.
  • Four Plays by Holberg. Translated by Alexander, Henry. Princeton University Press for the American-Scandinavian Foundation. 1946. OCLC 1381528.
  • Seven One-act Plays. Translated by Alexander, Henry. Princeton University Press for the American-Scandinavian Foundation. 1950. OCLC 1612009.
  • Three Comedies: The Transformed Peasant, The Arabian Powder, The Healing Spring. Translated by Spink, Reginald. London: William Heinemann. 1957. OCLC 1153458237.
  • Jeppe of the Hill and Other Comedies. Translated by Argetsinger, Gerald S.; Rossel, Sven Hakon. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. 1990. ISBN 978-0-8093-1480-5. OCLC 1156867790.
  • Three Danish Comedies. Translated by Meyer, Michael Leverson. London: Oberon Books. 1999. ISBN 9781840020601. OCLC 1098665264.
  • Ludvig Holberg Plays. Volume I: Just Justesen's reflections on theatre, Jeppe of the hill, Ulysses von Ithacia. Translated by Holm, Bent; Kynoch, Gaye. Hollitzer. 2020. ISBN 9783990125953. OCLC 1155694802.
  • Ludvig Holberg Plays. Volume II: Zille Hans-daughter's Gynaicologia, or Defence of Womankind; Erasmus Montanus; Witchcraft, or False Alarm. Translated by Holm, Bent; Kynoch, Gaye. Vienna: Hollitzer. 2022. ISBN 978-3990940334. OCLC 1355219148.

Individual dramas

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Other works

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References

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