Reviews

“Rachel Pollack and David Vine have captured on the page the primal sounds of this ancient Greek play in a new translation that is accessible, clear and eminently performable. Tyrant Oidipous is destined for the theatre; the poetry has been crafted with both actor and audience in mind. I expect to see many productions of this very fine translation on the world’s stages.”––Deborah Brevoort, playwright, The Women of Lockerbie

“Do we really need another translation of Oedipus Rex? This fresh, invigorating take on the world classic will make you answer with a resounding, “Yes!’ By contextualizing the events of the play as part of a longer narrative involving a youthful indiscretion of King Laios’ and re-examining notions of prophecy, duty, kingship and fate, Pollack and Vine’s Tyrant Oidipous makes Sophocles’s tragedy speak to us in deep and vital new ways.”––     Rebecca Brown, author of American Romances and The Gifts of the Body

“A double mystery, this fresh translation is a crime story and an exploration of fate as Sophocles intended. Taking it back to archaic roots in the original language, Pollack and Vine capture the magnificence of the precise moment mortal lives intersect with the intentions of their gods. Oidipous the play is gorgeous in this unique rendering. Utterly rational, purely poetic, fast-paced storytelling compels the unfolding drama. Don’t miss the introductory notes.”––Nor Hall, author of The Moon & the Virgin

“In this brilliant new translation, Pollack and Vine give new life to Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex. In their deft hands the play is both entertaining, nuanced, and comedic. I understood, finally why laughter and sorrow always go hand in hand.”––Darcey Steinke, journalist and author of Suicide Blonde and Easter Everywhere