[:en]
23 April 2016 was the central date of a year of literary celebrations around the 400th anniversary of the deaths of two of Europe’s most celebrated writers, Cervantes and Shakespeare. From a cultural and intercultural point of view it would be hard to think of anybody more influential than these two gentlemen, both in their sources and legacy. Shakespeare plundered many of the stories and legends of medieval Europe and gave them new currency, often giving rise to what we now think of as the definitive versions, whether it be the tragic love of
Antony and Cleopatra, the equally tragic fall of
Julius Caesar or the evil ambition of
Richard III, or reworkings of old texts such as
Romeo and Juliet (based on an Italian story recently translated into English). Shakespeare’s legacy has been international and his reputation has grown over the years, as a result of his championing by writers such as
Voltaire,
Goethe,
Stendhal and
Hugo, among others. Curiously, Shakespeare’s plays are often more intelligible to contemporary audiences in translation than they are in the original 16th century English, as I can witness to myself. The obligatory study of Shakespeare’s plays in English language secondary education rarely does justice to his reputation, unfortunately.
It is believed that Shakespeare adapted the story of Cardenio, based on an episode in Cervantes’s Don Quijote, but this text has been lost. To me, it seems extraordinary that so much mystery surrounds the life and times of two great writers who lived relatively recently. Cervantes, if we must compare, was perhaps more innovative than Shakespeare and is widely recognised as the creator of the modern novel, a literary genre which is still thriving, while the stage – Shakespeare’s milieu – has now been overshadowed by cinema, TV and internet multimedia. Times move on.
In truth, these two giants of literature are widely considered as co-pioneers of the modern era of literature, as remarked by Salman Rushdie recently in an article titled How Cervantes and Shakespeare wrote the modern literary rule book.
Consult an agenda of celebrations:
Even in Vic there have been initiatives to celebrate this special year, such as 400 years later – 400 años después. As the year goes by, watch out for further events and celebrations of all kinds.[:ca]Aquest article només està disponible en anglès.
23 April 2016 was the central date of a year of literary celebrations around the 400th anniversary of the deaths of two of Europe’s most celebrated writers, Cervantes and Shakespeare. From a cultural and intercultural point of view it would be hard to think of anybody more influential than these two gentlemen, both in their sources and legacy. Shakespeare plundered many of the stories and legends of medieval Europe and gave them new currency, often giving rise to what we now think of as the definitive versions, whether it be the tragic love of Antony and Cleopatra, the equally tragic fall of Julius Caesar or the evil ambition of Richard III, or reworkings of old texts such as Romeo and Juliet (based on an Italian story recently translated into English). Shakespeare’s legacy has been international and his reputation has grown over the years, as a result of his championing by writers such as Voltaire, Goethe, Stendhal and Hugo, among others. Curiously, Shakespeare’s plays are often more intelligible to contemporary audiences in translation than they are in the original 16th century English, as I can witness to myself. The obligatory study of Shakespeare’s plays in English language secondary education rarely does justice to his reputation, unfortunately.
It is believed that Shakespeare adapted the story of Cardenio, based on an episode in Cervantes’s Don Quijote, but this text has been lost. To me, it seems extraordinary that so much mystery surrounds the life and times of two great writers who lived relatively recently. Cervantes, if we must compare, was perhaps more innovative than Shakespeare and is widely recognised as the creator of the modern novel, a literary genre which is still thriving, while the stage – Shakespeare’s milieu – has now been overshadowed by cinema, TV and internet multimedia. Times move on.
In truth, these two giants of literature are widely considered as co-pioneers of the modern era of literature, as remarked by Salman Rushdie recently in an article titled How Cervantes and Shakespeare wrote the modern literary rule book.
Consult an agenda of celebrations:
Even in Vic there have been initiatives to celebrate this special year, such as 400 years later – 400 años después. As the year goes by, watch out for further events and celebrations of all kinds.[:es]Este artículo solo está disponible en inglés.
23 April 2016 was the central date of a year of literary celebrations around the 400th anniversary of the deaths of two of Europe’s most celebrated writers, Cervantes and Shakespeare. From a cultural and intercultural point of view it would be hard to think of anybody more influential than these two gentlemen, both in their sources and legacy. Shakespeare plundered many of the stories and legends of medieval Europe and gave them new currency, often giving rise to what we now think of as the definitive versions, whether it be the tragic love of Antony and Cleopatra, the equally tragic fall of Julius Caesar or the evil ambition of Richard III, or reworkings of old texts such as Romeo and Juliet (based on an Italian story recently translated into English). Shakespeare’s legacy has been international and his reputation has grown over the years, as a result of his championing by writers such as Voltaire, Goethe, Stendhal and Hugo, among others. Curiously, Shakespeare’s plays are often more intelligible to contemporary audiences in translation than they are in the original 16th century English, as I can witness to myself. The obligatory study of Shakespeare’s plays in English language secondary education rarely does justice to his reputation, unfortunately.
It is believed that Shakespeare adapted the story of Cardenio, based on an episode in Cervantes’s Don Quijote, but this text has been lost. To me, it seems extraordinary that so much mystery surrounds the life and times of two great writers who lived relatively recently. Cervantes, if we must compare, was perhaps more innovative than Shakespeare and is widely recognised as the creator of the modern novel, a literary genre which is still thriving, while the stage – Shakespeare’s milieu – has now been overshadowed by cinema, TV and internet multimedia. Times move on.
In truth, these two giants of literature are widely considered as co-pioneers of the modern era of literature, as remarked by Salman Rushdie recently in an article titled How Cervantes and Shakespeare wrote the modern literary rule book.
Consult an agenda of celebrations:
Even in Vic there have been initiatives to celebrate this special year, such as 400 years later – 400 años después. As the year goes by, watch out for further events and celebrations of all kinds.[:]
