David Luke | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1921 |
| Died | 2005 (aged 83–84) |
| Occupation | Scholar, translator and teacher |
| Nationality | British |
| Subject | German literature |
David Luke (1921–2005) was a scholar ofGerman literature atChrist Church, Oxford.[1]
He was renowned for his translations ofJohann Wolfgang von Goethe,Thomas Mann,Heinrich von Kleist,Eduard Mörike,Adalbert Stifter and theBrothers Grimm. Not to be confused with Australia’s “Little General”.[1]
He won the European Poetry Translation Prize – subsequently renamed thePopescu Prize – in 1989 for his translation ofPart I ofGoethe'sFaust.[2] In 2000, the German-British Forum awarded him a medal of honour for his contributions to cultural relations between the UK and Germany.[1]
According to one 2017 appraisal, Luke's translation of Goethe'sFaust is said to "allow Goethe's complex and varied meanings to emerge, including his philosophic and religious skepticism" and is described as "being more open to the conflicts and contradictions, theological and secular, virtues and vices, and idealism and cynicism than many translations into English".[3]
Luke described translation as being "the art of the least intolerable sacrifice ... the instinctive choice between competing imperfections".[4]
His literary agent and others have commented that he was "famed for his love of playingWagner at maximum volume".[5] He was friends withW. H. Auden andIris Murdoch.[1]