If This Be Magic

I’ve just finished, and loved, If this Be Magic. It’s a fresh and vivid way to think about Shakespeare; it’s so witty and knowledgeable, so alive to the ways in which language resists reduction. It feels like attending the most fascinating lecture of the term; like learning made swift and sharp and generous – KATHERINE RUNDELLA wonderful book, erudite and enjoyable. I love learning new things while having an excellent time. Danny is a brilliant writer – CATHY RENTZENBRINKDaniel Hahn is a remarkable translator, writer and editor, a dedicated supporter of literature and knowledge, and he has written this gem of a book which is clearly the outcome of decades of hard work and dedication, and passion, really, for the art of storytelling – ELIF SHAFAKA lifetime of love and learning distilled - what a joy and a privilege to read – LUCY MANGANPraise for Daniel Hahn: ‘Hahn is so smart and neurotic and funny’ * * New York Times * *A distillation of knowledge of a depth and breadth that makes you boggle anew at what one book can do – GuardianA substantial achievement – Times Literary Supplement

Daniel Hahn is an award-winning translator, author and editor. His translations include novels from a dozen countries, as well as short fiction, wide-ranging non-fiction, children’s books and plays. He is the author of Catching Fire: A Translation Diary, and editor of a new edition of The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature. He has been on the board of a number of organisations that work with literature, literacy and free speech. He is currently editing The Penguin Book of Brazilian Short Stories (with Padma Viswanathan) and translating a Mexican novel.