gcj@qmc-ori.UUCP.UUCP (07/25/86)
The Steven Berkoff production of "Metamorphosis" has recently returned to the London stage. A reviewer has pointed out that the play lacks many of the levels of meaning in Kafka's work, as a result of its transformation into a theatrical work. The reviewer was probably thinking of the English translation of the text from the original German and it has been pointed out that the translation the original language was responsible for a considerable loss of substance. Apparently, the true impact of the work can only be grasped by a native speaker, who has a background of the German culture. Gordon Joly. INET: gcj%maths.qmc.ac.uk%cs.qmc.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk EARN: gcj%UK.AC.QMC.MATHS%UK.AC.QMC.CS@AC.UK UUCP: ...!seismo!ukc!qmc-ori!gcj also: joly%surrey.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk [In Contact, Carl Sagan quotes a line about reading a translation being similar to viewing a tapestry from the back. -- KIL]