Richard Emil Braun

Classical translation and modern verse intersect in the scholarly literary work of classicist and poet Richard Emil Braun. Best known for his evocative translations of ancient Greek tragedy, including Sophocles' Antigone, Braun brought classic plays into clear, resonant English while simultaneously building a distinct body of original poetry over four decades.

Career & Background

Richard Emil Braun was born in 1934 and established a distinguished career as a classicist, poet, and translator. He served for many years as Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, balancing the academic study of ancient literature with active creative writing. His early published collections of poetry included Companions to Your Doom in 1961 and Children Passing in 1962, followed by Bad Land in 1970 and The Foreclosure in 1972. Alongside his verse, Braun devoted significant scholarly effort to translating major classical texts, publishing translations of Persius' Satires, Sophocles' Antigone, and Euripides' Rhesos.

Writing Style & Themes

As both a classicist and a contemporary poet, Braun's writing bridges classical formal elegance and twentieth-century modernist sensibilities. His original poetry collections, such as Last Man In (1990) and The Snow Man Is No One (2001), demonstrate a refined command of rhythm, narrative voice, and philosophical introspection. His translation work is characterized by dramatic clarity and fidelity to the poetic structure of original ancient Greek and Latin texts, rendering ancient tragic and satirical voices accessible and vibrant for modern readers and performance stages.

Major Works

• Antigone — A celebrated translation of Sophocles' Greek tragedy published in 1973 and 1989 that captures the dramatic tension and poetic weight of the original play for modern readers and theatre productions.
• Children Passing — Published in 1962 by the University of Texas Press, this early poetry collection explores themes of memory, morality, and human observation.
• The Foreclosure — A major 1972 poetry collection featuring Braun's distinct narrative verse and modern poetic techniques.
• Companions to Your Doom — Braun's debut 1961 poetry volume, establishing his voice in post-war American verse.
• Rhesos — A 1992 verse translation of the ancient Greek tragedy attributed to Euripides, reflecting Braun's deep expertise as a classicist.
• The Snow Man Is No One — A 2001 poetry collection that represents his later verse and continued engagement with lyrical and philosophical themes.