The brilliant and gripping classical drama of mistaken identities, divine intervention, a long-suffering family, and the rescue of a long-lost sister.
I am Iphigenia, daughter of the daughter of Tyndareus.
My father killed me.
Few contemporary poets elicit such powerful responses from readers and critics as Anne Carson. The New York Times Book Review calls her work тАЬpersonal, necessary, and important,тАЭ while Publishers Weekly says she is тАЬnothing less than brilliant.тАЭ Her poetryтАФenigmatic yet approachable, deeply personal yet universal in scope, wildly mutable yet always recognizable as her distinct voiceтАФinvests contemporary concerns with the epic resonance and power of the Greek classics that she has studied, taught, and translated for decades.
Iphigenia Among the Taurians is the latest in CarsonтАЩs series of translations of the plays of Euripides. Originally published as part of the third edition of ChicagoтАЩs Complete Greek Tragedies, it is published here as a stand-alone volume for the first time. In CarsonтАЩs stunning translation, EuripidesтАЩs playтАФfull of mistaken identities, dangerous misunderstandings, and unexpected interventions by gods and menтАФis as fierce and fresh as any contemporary drama. Carson has accomplished one of the rarest feats of translation: maintaining fidelity to a writerтАЩs words even as she inflects them with her own unique poetic voice.
Destined to become the standard translation of the play, Iphigenia Among the Taurians is a remarkable accomplishment, and an unforgettable work of poetic drama.