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If This Be Magic

If This Be Magic

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About This Event

On 16 October 2026, Cheltenham Town Hall will host a discussion featuring Clare Clark and seasoned translator Daniel Hahn on the intricacies of translating Shakespeare. Tickets for 'If This Be Magic' are available for £14.

What does it really mean to translate Shakespeare? Clare Clark talks to seasoned translator and lifelong Shakespeare enthusiast Daniel Hahn about the complex, playful and sometimes near impossible business of carrying the Bard into other languages. Drawing on conversations with translators across the world, Hahn explores what happens when poetry, wordplay, rhythm and syntax must all be remade. Why might Hamlet become even longer in Italian? How does Romeo and Juliet begin in Thai? If all the words are changed, is it still Shakespeare? And, perhaps more importantly, is it still any good? There will be a book signing after this event. Get ahead of your Festival reading and visit the Waterstones Cheltenham Literature Festival bookshop and support Cheltenham Festivals with every purchase.

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Frequently asked questions

If This Be Magic takes place on Friday, 16 October 2026 at 10:30.

If This Be Magic is held at Cheltenham Town Hall in Cheltenham (Pillar Room, Cheltenham Town Hall, Imperial Square, Cheltenham, GL50 1QA, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom).

Tickets for If This Be Magic are priced at £14. Live prices and availability are shown on cheltenhamfestivals.org.

Tickets for If This Be Magic can be booked via cheltenhamfestivals.org using the "Check Tickets & Live Prices" button on this page, which opens the official booking site in a new tab.

Price

£14

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