Oliver Taplin
Encyclopedia
Professor Oliver Taplin (born 2 August 1943) was a fellow and tutor of Classics
(Literae Humaniores
) at Magdalen College, Oxford
. He holds a DPhil from Oxford University.
Taplin is author of several books, including 'Greek Fire', a celebration of the capacity of Ancient Greek
culture to stand the test of time and influence modern art, thought and society. The book accompanied a Channel 4
documentary series of the same name. This book has been translated into five languages.
His first book was "The Stagecraft of Aeschylus" examining the entrances and exits of characters in Aeschylus's plays.
He set up The Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama in 1996 with Edith Hall. It is devoted to the international production and reception of ancient plays since the Renaissance. He has also worked with productions in the theatre, including The Oresteia at the National Theatre (1980–81), The Thebans at the RSC (1991–92), and The Oresteia at the National Theatre (1999–2000).
Apart from Greek drama, his chief area of interest was in Homer.
He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy
in 1995.
Since turning 65 in August 2008, Oliver Taplin has retired as Tutor in Classics at Magdalen College, Oxford. The same year, Oxford University Press published 'Performance, Iconography, Reception: Studies in Honour of Oliver Taplin' edited by Martin Revermann and Peter Wilson.
His book Pots and Plays was released in 2007.
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
(Literae Humaniores
Literae Humaniores
Literae Humaniores is the name given to an undergraduate course focused on Classics at Oxford and some other universities.The Latin name means literally "more humane letters", but is perhaps better rendered as "Advanced Studies", since humaniores has the sense of "more refined" or "more learned",...
) at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. He holds a DPhil from Oxford University.
Taplin is author of several books, including 'Greek Fire', a celebration of the capacity of Ancient Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
culture to stand the test of time and influence modern art, thought and society. The book accompanied a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary series of the same name. This book has been translated into five languages.
His first book was "The Stagecraft of Aeschylus" examining the entrances and exits of characters in Aeschylus's plays.
He set up The Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama in 1996 with Edith Hall. It is devoted to the international production and reception of ancient plays since the Renaissance. He has also worked with productions in the theatre, including The Oresteia at the National Theatre (1980–81), The Thebans at the RSC (1991–92), and The Oresteia at the National Theatre (1999–2000).
Apart from Greek drama, his chief area of interest was in Homer.
He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
in 1995.
Since turning 65 in August 2008, Oliver Taplin has retired as Tutor in Classics at Magdalen College, Oxford. The same year, Oxford University Press published 'Performance, Iconography, Reception: Studies in Honour of Oliver Taplin' edited by Martin Revermann and Peter Wilson.
Recent news
In 2008 Oliver Taplin took part in the programme "Greek and Latin Voices" for the BBC where he gave a talk on Homer and translated the Homeric texts for the programme.His book Pots and Plays was released in 2007.
Selected publications
- The Stagecraft of Aeschylus: the Dramatic Use of Exits and Entrances in Greek Tragedy, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1977.
- Greek Tragedy in Action , Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, Oxford, 1978 (2nd Edition 2003). - Comic Angels: and Other Approaches to Greek Drama Through Vase-Paintings , Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1993.
- 'Opening Performance: Closing Texts?', Essays in Criticism, 45, 93–120, 1995.
- 'The Artistic Record'. In P.E. Easterling (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy, Cambridge, 69–90, 1997.
- 'Spreading the word through performance'. In S. Goldhill and R. Osborne (eds.), Performance Culture and Athenian Democracy, Cambridge, 33–57, 1999.
- (editor) Literature in the Greek and Roman Worlds. A New Perspective, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2000.
- His new book, Pots and Plays. Interactions between Tragedy and Greek Vase-painting of the Fourth Century BC is forthcoming from Getty Museum Publications, Los Angeles.
- Tragic life-journeys and real-life journeys: the place where three ways meet, Inaugural William Ritchie Memorial Lecture, University of SydneyUniversity of SydneyThe University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, 2008. (podcast of lecture)