To commemorate the International Peace Day (21 September 2019), the Bertha von Suttner Peace Institute was pleased to host in The Hague a lecture by visiting academic Dr Barbara Burns (University of Glasgow) on the subject ‘Timothy Holmes: English Translator of Bertha von Suttner’s novel Die Waffen nieder!’
The lecture focused on the London surgeon who translated Die Waffen nieder! into English in 1892. Holmes was an eminent medical scholar and editor of the famous Gray’s Anatomy, for whom this was an unusual foray into the world of fiction. As Vice-Chairman of the London-based International Arbitration and Peace Association, keenly interested in Suttner’s work, Mr. Holmes carried out the translation as a ‘labour of love’ in response to the perceived need for a full English version of her influential novel. He invested his own money in seeing the work through to publication, and his translation played a pivotal role in spreading Suttner’s message across the Anglophone world.
Dr Burns has recently published a new scholarly edition of Holmes’ translation of Die Waffen nieder!, entitled Lay Down Your Arms. Click here for details on how to order
The lecture was followed by lively discussion and a buffet lunch