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A review by chrxiao
Antigonick by Sophocles
5.0
AHHH anne carson!!! i knew when i picked this up at harvard book store that i was going to love it bc 1) antigone 2) anne carson. carson is such a good translator for the classics mwah. also i am a slut for translation it's so good so meaningful a medium.
some more concrete thoughts. i really appreciate the beginning translator's note directed towards antigone; i think it makes it clear the purpose of this is not so much a ""faithful"" (putting that in quotes because i don't believe there's such a thing) translation of sophocles's antigone but an exploration of translation and antigone's story. the lyrical form it's in also sets the tone for the translation and the importance of the act.
next. the titular nick. there was a slight thrill to read "nick, mute, always on stage, stands and measure things" (approx.) in the character list — who is this guy? it becomes efficiently and apparently clear soon that nick is short for nick of time (at least in my reading; i'm sure there are actually numerous interpretations) and it's in some ways about how antigone is a story of so close, just missed-it bits of time "nicked" from the characters. and also tragedy: time goes on regardless, which is why nick stays on the stage forever and even past the end of the play. both halves of the duality of antigone's story being a series of close call near-coincidences, and permeating through time with its universality which makes the first point slightly unbelievable.
finally: loved loved loved the language, but it's anne freaking carson so what's new. lots of cool things done, from this meta-awareness of philosophers past the characters' time, performances of antigone, etc. (really goes well with above point and also the translator's note). also separation of "i" and [name] as a fracturing of identity with kreon!! god it's so good. absolutely loved it.
some more concrete thoughts. i really appreciate the beginning translator's note directed towards antigone; i think it makes it clear the purpose of this is not so much a ""faithful"" (putting that in quotes because i don't believe there's such a thing) translation of sophocles's antigone but an exploration of translation and antigone's story. the lyrical form it's in also sets the tone for the translation and the importance of the act.
next. the titular nick. there was a slight thrill to read "nick, mute, always on stage, stands and measure things" (approx.) in the character list — who is this guy? it becomes efficiently and apparently clear soon that nick is short for nick of time (at least in my reading; i'm sure there are actually numerous interpretations) and it's in some ways about how antigone is a story of so close, just missed-it bits of time "nicked" from the characters. and also tragedy: time goes on regardless, which is why nick stays on the stage forever and even past the end of the play. both halves of the duality of antigone's story being a series of close call near-coincidences, and permeating through time with its universality which makes the first point slightly unbelievable.
finally: loved loved loved the language, but it's anne freaking carson so what's new. lots of cool things done, from this meta-awareness of philosophers past the characters' time, performances of antigone, etc. (really goes well with above point and also the translator's note). also separation of "i" and [name] as a fracturing of identity with kreon!! god it's so good. absolutely loved it.