Schnitzler in Britain: Authorship, Translation and Finding a Place at the National Theatre

Abstract

For over sixty years Das weite Land [The Vast Domain, 1911] remained largely unknown in Britain. It was only with the production of Tom Stoppard's English 'version' (Undiscovered Country, 1979) at the National Theatre that Schnitzler and this particular play were brought to the full attention of British audiences. Examination of the papers of Heinrich Schnitzler (in Vienna) and Tom Stoppard (in Texas) makes it possible to situate the production within a wider context of placing Schnitzler in Britain, while also illuminating Stoppard's process of adaptation. The material shows that what we see performed on stage is merely one iteration in a continuum of creative transfer back and forth between numerous individuals and texts.