Rōmeo rāua ko Hurieta (Auckland University Press, 2023)

Posted: Wednesday Aug 09, 2023

A te reo Māori translation of Shakespeare’s tragic drama of young love between two feuding families.

In this book, acclaimed translator Te Haumihiata Mason brings the world of Romeo and Juliet alive in a language filled with wairua Māori.

The plays of William Shakespeare have had an enduring appeal in te ao Māori – from Dr Pei Te Hurinui Jones’s translation of The Merchant of Venice, Othello and Julius Caesar to Dr Merimeri Penfold’s translation of Shakespeare’s love sonnets. Te Haumihiata Mason has been central to that tradition, translating Troilus and Cressida for a performance at London’s Globe Theatre in 2012 and now taking on Shakespeare’s most beloved romantic tragedy.

Love, duels, murders, marriages – Romeo and Juliet has it all. This te reo Maōri translation will bring the play into the heart of Aotearoa.

Read more and order here: Rōmeo rāua ko Hurieta (aucklanduniversitypress.co.nz)