Derek Mahon‘s versions of Sophocles, Euripides, Molière, Racine and Rostand, commissioned at various times between 1985 and 2004, and now revised, are re-issued in Theatre in historical order. Three tragedies, two comedies and one ‘heroic comedy’ (Rostand), done in parallel with the author’s work as a poet and critic, they can be read as extensions of his own original verse. Readers will find here, in a theatrical context, the range and depth, the fluency and wit that distinguish his poems and prose. Remade in his distinctive style, the plays aspire, in the words of Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac:
‘at the very least to strike out with panache,
amaze a gaping audience, cut a dash . . .’
‘Overall Mahon’s collection [Theatre] is a well-gauged fusion of tragedy and comedy that showcases the nuances of his poetic voice. It also demonstrates his experience as a theatre critic in its analytical approach to the works. Both Friel and Mahon succeed in honoring the essence of the classics, but more significantly, they manage to bring something original to the originals by casting them in their own distinctive styles. These works prove worthy additions to the oeuvre of both writers, but also to the wider canon of adaptations.’ — Irish Literary Supplement
