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Geoffrey Skelton

ジェフリー・スケルトン

Geoffrey Skelton

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1916-01-01
Died
1998-01-01 age 82
Nationality
British
Languages
English, German

Career

Occupations
author, translator, biographer, music scholar
Active Years
1940-1998

Awards

Schlegel-Tieck Prize
Work: Translation of Robert Lucas's biography 'Frieda Lawrence'
Organization: Schlegel-Tieck Prize (Society of Authors / awarding body)
Result: winner
Schlegel-Tieck Prize
Work: Translation of Siegfried Lenz's 'The Training Ground'
Organization: Schlegel-Tieck Prize (Society of Authors / awarding body)
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Wieland Wagner. The Positive Sceptic

1971 biography / music studies

A study-biography of Wieland Wagner covering his life, artistic outlook and role within the Wagner family and Bayreuth tradition.

Wagner familyopera studiesart and tradition

Paul Hindemith: The Man Behind the Music

1975 biography / music studies

A biography outlining the life and works of composer Paul Hindemith, exploring his musical background and personality.

20th-century musiccomposer studies

Wagner at Bayreuth: Experiment and Tradition

1965 music history / study

Study of Wagner performances at the Bayreuth Festival, discussing tradition and experimental practices (revised edition 1976).

music festivalsperformance historyWagner studies

Richard and Cosima Wagner: Biography of a Marriage

1982 biography / music history

A biography focusing on the marriage of Richard and Cosima Wagner, tracing their personal and artistic trajectories.

marriage and artWagner familymusic history

Wagner in Thought and Practice

1991 music thought / criticism

Essays on Wagner's thought and its practical manifestations, examining the relation between his works and theory.

music thoughtWagner studies

Frieda Lawrence (translation of Robert Lucas)

translation (biography)

English translation by Skelton of Robert Lucas's biography of Frieda Lawrence.

biographical translationliterary history

The Training Ground (translation of Siegfried Lenz)

translation (novel)

Skelton's English translation of Siegfried Lenz's novel 'The Training Ground', one of his Schlegel-Tieck Prize-winning translations.

post-war German literaturetranslation

Man in the Holocene (translation of Max Frisch)

translation (short fiction/novella)

English translation of Max Frisch's 'Man in the Holocene'.

existencememory

Bibliography

  • Wieland Wagner. The Positive Sceptic (Gollancz, 1971)
  • Paul Hindemith: The Man Behind the Music (Gollancz, 1975)
  • Wagner at Bayreuth: Experiment and Tradition (Barrie & Rockcliffe, 1965; revised ed. 1976)
  • Richard and Cosima Wagner: Biography of a Marriage (Gollancz, 1982)
  • Wagner in Thought and Practice (Lime Tree, 1991)

Translations by Author

  • Frieda Lawrence (by Robert Lucas) — translation
  • Cosima Wagner's Diaries: A New Selection (by Cosima Wagner) — translation
  • Man in the Holocene (by Max Frisch) — translation
  • Bluebeard: A Tale (by Max Frisch) — translation
  • The Training Ground (by Siegfried Lenz) — translation
  • Arden Must Die (opera libretto by Erich Fried) — translation

Style & Themes

Literary Style
accurate, scholarly translationfocus on music and historyclear, expository biographical prose
Recurring Motifs
Wagner and Bayreuth20th-century musictradition vs. innovation

Legacy

Skelton is regarded as an important translator and scholar who introduced German-language literature and music scholarship to English-speaking audiences. He is known for Wagner studies and translations of major German-language writers, and won the Schlegel-Tieck Prize twice.

Trivia

  • Won the Schlegel-Tieck Prize twice.
  • Also noted as a biographer of Wagner and Paul Hindemith.
  • Translated major German-language writers such as Brecht, Max Frisch and Peter Weiss.