Anthony Vivis

Notable Works

• The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1976) - translation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder play
• The Conquest of the South Pole (1988) Traverse - translation of Manfred Karge play
• Through the Leaves (1985) Traverse - translation of Franz Xaver Kroetz play

About

Charles Anthony Vivis was born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, in 1943. He studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at Clare College, Cambridge and began work as a Dramaturgical Adviser to the theatre agent Felix Bloch Erben in (West) Berlin. Between 1967 and 1971, he was a Dramaturg for the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, reading, translating, seeing, and reporting on contemporary German and French plays. His translations were produced by the National Theatre, RSC, the Royal Court, Bush, Soho Poly and elsewhere in the UK. He also wrote for cinema and television, and BBC Radio 3 and 4. His literary writing was variously published in Bloomsbury, Cape, the CUP, the OUP and others, as well as writing reviews for the Independent and the Times Literary Supplement. His awards include the Italia Prize, theatre translation bursaries from Arts Council England and two BCLA translation Competition commendations.

From 1977-83, Vivis was an Editor and Producer, mainly for BBC Radio Drama in London. Subsequently, as a freelance writer and translator living in the Suffolk village of Westley Waterless and in Norwich, he continued to teach for the University of East Anglia and the Open University. His work was frequently collaborative, including translations with his second wife, Tinch Minter, in the 1980s, and with W. G. Sebald, the founding director of the British Centre for Literary Translation at the University of East Anglia. Anthony Vivis died suddenly, aged 70. Michael Coveney’s Guardian obituary wrote, “In an age when it is sometimes difficult to apportion blame or praise to a “new version” from a foreign language – since the British playwright is either cribbing from an expert’s literal translation or using other published sources – Vivis’ integrity and expertise in what he called “re-creative” playwriting were both paramount and obvious”. He was an RLF Fellow at the UEA, an RLF beneficiary, and a supporter.

Legacy

With W. G. Sebald, he was the founding co-director of the British Centre for Literary Translation at the University of East Anglia.

His gift of Royalties to the RLF from his literary estate helps support future generations of writers and translators.