Why might Hamlet be even longer in Italian?

How does the story of Romeo and Juliet begin . . . in Thai?

How do you build a joke in German, or recreate a rhyme in Japanese?

And why are Lady Macbeth's pronouns such a problem?

What does it mean to translate Shakespeare? When we change all the poetry, all the wordplay, all the syntax - all the words! - is it still Shakespeare? And is it still any good?

Daniel Hahn, seasoned translator and Shakespeare fanatic, will change the way you think about language itself. Ranging widely across Shakespeare's works, and across the world's languages, this book explores why we choose the words we do and what effect they have.

No knowledge of any particular language is required, though a bit of patience for the nerdiest of close reading is desirable. This micro-attention to detail reveals anew the joy of Shakespeare, celebrates creativity and revels in the power of words.

"Learned but cheerful and chatty . . . This is a book that forces any reader to think deeply about the building blocks of Shakespeare's language . . . The tone is that of an enthusiastic professor inviting his students to continue the lecture in the pub" - * Financial Times *

"A deliciously fresh reading of Shakespeare . . . a stirring celebration of the plurality of languages" - * Wall Street Journal *

"Hahn's skilled and compelling chapters offer much to savour" - * Times Literary Supplement *

"Hahn is exceptionally associative and alive to the quirks of his subject. His book is a bran tub of interesting topics . . . [Readers] will be fascinated and amused by [If This Be Magic], which is why it deserves to find shelf space well beyond those places where translation is studied" - * Literary Review *

"The book is a kind of master class in translation, a chronicle of the author's healthy obsession, and a great way to catch up with Shakespeare's work." - * New York Times *