Hofmannsthal and England

Hugo von Hofmannsthal's indebtedness to English literature is well known and has received significant critical attention. His reception in England is a less familiar topic. This article sketches the history of translations of Hofmannsthal's works into English in Britain, examines unpublished correspondence with English writers and actors such as Arthur Symons, Harley Granville Barker and John Martin Harvey, and analyses early London performances of Oedipus and the Sphinx and Everyman. It ends with a review of broadcasts of Hofmannsthal by the BBC Third Programme between 1955 and 1986 and of Michael Hamburger's role as champion of his works.