The barometer-maker on the magic island

the long version

Ferdinand Raimund (1790-1836) was a pre-eminent Austrian comic dramatist whose works have remained popular on major German-speaking stages to the present day. His eight plays, of which The Barometer-Maker and The Diamond of the Spirit King are the first two, represent the peak of a long, distinguished tradition in the Viennese popular theater. These plays are a witty and poetic mix of fantastic fairy-tale elements and ironic social commentary. Blending literal accuracy with faithfulness to the lively performability of the original, Edmund Kimbell's translations make these works available and appealing to English-speaking scholars and performers alike.