THE BIRDS by Aristophanes

by Dudley Fitts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 8, 1956

This is the third of the translations of that most modern of Greek dramatists, and in some ways Dudley Fitts has been most successful in The Birds. (The Frogs and Lysistrata were the other two). Once again war backgrounds the poetic comedy. Athens has been destroyed; ruin stares the city in its face. The two heroes, disillusioned with mankind, seek escape to live among the birds, to build a city in cloud cuckoo land. Dudley Fitts is adroit in giving the topical allusions a contemporary slant; his language is lively; he even brings 2000 year old humor up to date. In this play he has achieved some lively lyrical strophes. Nonetheless, granting his linguistic virtuosity and the obvious parallels, it is still difficult to see an appeal to any market outside modern poets and classical scholars. The Birds is basically less universal in appeal, say, than Lysistrata. But the project per se has definite value.

Pub Date: Feb. 8, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt Brace

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION