Howard Rubenstein (physician)
Encyclopedia
Howard Rubenstein is an American physician, playwright and translator of classical Greek drama.
and attended Lake View High School
. He was a magna cum laude graduate of Carleton College
, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi
and won the Noyes Prize for excellence in Greek studies. He received his MD
degree from Harvard Medical School
in 1957 and was a physician for over 40 years, most of them at Harvard University. For several years, he was a medical consultant for the State of California
.
Now retired from the practice of medicine, he lives with his wife Judy in San Diego, where he writes and enjoys his grandchildren.
He has published translations of Agamemnon by Aeschylus
and The Trojan Women
by Euripides
. His translations have been praised by the leading classical scholars P. E. Easterling
, Regius Professor, Cambridge, and Oliver Taplin
, Regius Professor, Oxford. The production of his adaptation of The Trojan Women
won more Billie Awards (San Diego Playbill) than any other play of the 2000-1 San Diego theater season.
He has also published stage adaptations of Jean Racine's
Britannicus
and the 20th century Yiddish dramatic poem, The Golem
, by H. Leivick
.
He has also written an historical comic tragedy Tony and Cleo and an epic poem in free verse
based upon the books of Maccabees
.
Life and works
Rubenstein was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and attended Lake View High School
Lake View High School (Chicago, Illinois)
Lake View High School is a public 4-year high school located in the Lake View neighborhood of Chicago,Illinois. It serves grades 9th through 12th. It is a part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299.-History:...
. He was a magna cum laude graduate of Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
and won the Noyes Prize for excellence in Greek studies. He received his MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
in 1957 and was a physician for over 40 years, most of them at Harvard University. For several years, he was a medical consultant for the State of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Now retired from the practice of medicine, he lives with his wife Judy in San Diego, where he writes and enjoys his grandchildren.
He has published translations of Agamemnon by Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
and The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced during the Peloponnesian War, it is often considered a commentary on the capture of the Aegean island of Melos and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of its populace by the Athenians earlier in 415 BC , the same year...
by Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
. His translations have been praised by the leading classical scholars P. E. Easterling
P. E. Easterling
Patricia Elizabeth Easterling FBA is an English classical scholar, recognised as a particular expert on the work of Sophocles.-Life and career:...
, Regius Professor, Cambridge, and Oliver Taplin
Oliver Taplin
Professor Oliver Taplin was a fellow and tutor of Classics at Magdalen College, Oxford. He holds a DPhil from Oxford University....
, Regius Professor, Oxford. The production of his adaptation of The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced during the Peloponnesian War, it is often considered a commentary on the capture of the Aegean island of Melos and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of its populace by the Athenians earlier in 415 BC , the same year...
won more Billie Awards (San Diego Playbill) than any other play of the 2000-1 San Diego theater season.
He has also published stage adaptations of Jean Racine's
Jean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
Britannicus
Britannicus (play)
Britannicus is a tragic play by the French dramatist Jean Racine.The play, produced in 1669, was the first time Racine had tried his hand at depicting Roman history. The tale of moral choice takes as its subject Britannicus, the son of the Roman emperor Claudius, and heir to the imperial throne...
and the 20th century Yiddish dramatic poem, The Golem
The Golem (Leivick)
The Golem is a 1921 "dramatic poem in eight scenes" by H. Leivick. The story is a reworking of a legend of Judah Loew ben Bezalel, known as the Maharal, a great rabbi of Prague. In the legend, he animates a golem, a being crafted from inanimate material...
, by H. Leivick
H. Leivick
H. Leivick was a Yiddish language writer, known for his 1921 "dramatic poem in eight scenes" The Golem...
.
He has also written an historical comic tragedy Tony and Cleo and an epic poem in free verse
Free verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
based upon the books of Maccabees
Maccabees
The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
.
Selected Works
- Agamemnon: A play by Aeschylus; translated from the Greek into English with introduction, notes and synopsis, Granite Hills Press, 1998. ISBN 0963888641
- The Trojan Women: A play by Euripides; translated from the Greek into English and adapted in response to Aristophanes’ and Aristotle’s criticism, Granite Hills Press, 2002. ISBN 1929468059
- Britannicus: A play in two acts, adapted from Jean Racine’s Britannicus, Granite Hills Press, 2009. ISBN 9781929468140
- The Golem: Man of Earth: A play in two acts based on historical events, a medieval Jewish legend, kabbalah, and the Yiddish dramatic poem by H. Leivick, Granite Hills Press, 2007. ISBN 9781929468126 ISBN 1929468121
- Tony and Cleo: A play in two acts, Granite Hills Press, 2008. ISBN 9781929468133
- Maccabee: An epic poem in free verse based upon the books of Maccabees, Granite Hills Press, 2004.ISBN 1929468083
- Becoming Free: A biblically oriented Haggadah for Passover: the permanent relevance of the ancient lesson (with Judith S. Rubenstein) Granite Hills Press,1993. ISBN 0963888609