Lecture in language
Martin Hilský (CZE)
Translator, Shakespearologist and Anglicist
„If Shakespeare had been alive today, maybe he wouldn't have written theater plays at all. He was an innovator and a businessman, so maybe he would have written a TV series.“
The Czech translator and professor of English Studies has been studying the work of William Shakespeare all his life, and has also completely translated it into Czech. He lectures at Charles University and the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. Currently, he only translates works that are of great value to him personally.
He translated his first Shakespeare play, Midsummer Night's Dream, in 1983, and since then he has translated all of Shakespeare's 38 plays into Czech, as well as his sonnets. These translations
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He translated his first Shakespeare play, Midsummer Night's Dream, in 1983, and since then he has translated all of Shakespeare's 38 plays into Czech, as well as his sonnets. These translations were published together in 2011. Apart from Shakespeare, Martin has also translated many other significant works of English and American literature, including Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat and Shaffer's Amadeus.
In 2010 he published the book Shakespeare a jeviště svět (Shakespeare and the Stage World). He writes studies and essays on English and American literature, which he brought together in the collection Rozbité zrcadlo (Broken Mirror), and forewords and epilogues to books. He lectures at Charles University and the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.
Queen Elizabeth II appointed him Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire for his translations of Shakespeare and for the dissemination of English literature in the Czech Republic. In 2011, he accepted The Medal of Merit for the State in the field of culture and education from former President Václav Klaus. In the same year, he also won the State Prize for Translation Work. In the year 2015, he was awarded the National Award in the project Czech Head.
