Shakespeare, William [Romeo and Juliet]. Romeo i Dzhul'etta. Typescript. 

Translation by G. Kristi.
Under the editorship of M. Morozov (with his preface).

N.p., [1945?].
4to, [3], 46 l.

In handmade wrappers with a handwritten title on the front cover, bound with threads. With few manuscript additions in ink.
In good condition, rubbed, some sunning to covers, tears and small losses to cover corners, some corners dog-eared.

A typescript of a rare Russian translation, prepared by a theater director. Third (?) copy.

This Russian translation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was prepared by Grigorii Kristi (1908–1973), a theater director, teacher, theater scholar, and librettist. He trained at Stanislavsky’s Opera-Dramatic Studio under the guidance of Zinaida Sokolova, the younger sister of Konstantin Stanislavsky, and later dedicated himself to studying and publishing the legacy of the great director. Kristi worked as a director at the Stanislavsky Opera-Dramatic Theater (now Electrotheatre Stanislavsky) and served as the chief director of musical programming at the Central Television Studio. 
Kristi likely prepared this translation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for a new production at the Stanislavsky Opera-Dramatic Theater, which most likely was never realized. It should be emphasized that this is Kristi’s most significant work as a translator, although he also contributed to the translation and stage adaptation of two other texts: 'The Duenna', based on the comedy by R. Sheridan, and the opera 'The Barber of Seville' by G. Rossini.
The typescript also includes a brief but important introduction by the prominent literary critic and Shakespearean scholar Mikhail Morozov (1897–1952), discussing the distinctive qualities of Kristi’s translation. Morozov notes that although Shakespeare has been translated into Russian many times, it is often difficult to find a version truly suitable for stage performance—many are either too literal or too archaic. Among the modern translations of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ available at the time, Morozov highlights those by Tatiana Shchepkina-Kupernik and Boris Pasternak. He characterizes the former as weak and static, while the latter, by Pasternak, he finds overly realistic.
Kristi, according to Morozov, initially set out to create a composite translation based on existing versions, but soon transitioned to developing his own original work, ultimately proving himself to be an excellent theatrical translator. Morozov emphasizes that Kristi’s main goal was to convey subtext and emotional depth, and that the literary quality of his version is deserving of high praise. He concludes by stating that Kristi’s translation is exceptionally well-suited for performance and succeeds in capturing the spirit of the original.
Kristi’s translation was officially published in 1960 in very small number of copies in Moscow by the Department for the Distribution of Dramatic Works of the All-Union Administration for the Protection of Copyrights. 
This typescript of the play was likely used in preparation for the 1955 production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ directed by Pavel Khomskii at the Riga Youth Theatre.

Provenance: From the archive of Pavel Khomskii (1925–2016), chief director and artistic director of the Mossovet Theatre. Khomsky studied at the K. Stanislavsky Opera-Dramatic Studio, where Kristi taught. From 1951 to 1959, Khomskii served as a director at the Riga Youth Theatre.