Stephen Mitchell (translator)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stephen Mitchell (born 1943) is a poet, translator, scholar, and anthologist. Born in Brooklyn, Mitchell is known for his translations and adaptions of works including the Tao Te Ching, the Hebrew Bible's book of Psalms, the Epic of Gilgamesh, works of Rainer Maria Rilke, and some Christian texts.[1]
Stephen Mitchell was born to a Jewish family, educated at Poly Prep, Amherst College,[2] the University of Paris,[2] and Yale University,[2] and "de-educated"[further explanation needed] through intensive Zen practice. He studied for 4+1⁄2 years with Zen master Seungsahn and for 2+1⁄2 years with Robert Baker Aitken Rōshi.
Career
Mitchell's translations and adaptions include the Tao Te Ching,[3] which has sold over a million copies[as of?], Gilgamesh,[4] the Iliad,[1][5][6][7] the Odyssey,[8] The Gospel According to Jesus, the Bhagavad Gita,[9] the Book of Job,[10] the Second Book of the Tao, and The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. He twice won the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award from the Academy of American Poets. His Selected Rilke has been called "the most beautiful group of poetic translations [the twentieth] century has produced" (Chicago Tribune), his Gilgamesh was runner-up for the first annual Quill Award for poetry, and his Iliad was one of The New Yorker's Favorite Books of 2011.[citation needed]
He is also the coauthor of three of his wife Byron Katie's bestselling books: Loving What Is, A Thousand Names for Joy, and A Mind at Home with Itself. His 2019 book Joseph and the Way of Forgiveness is a Zen-inflected midrash on the Joseph story from the book of Genesis. Additionally, he wrote a reimagining of the Christian Nativity story entitled The First Christmas.
Personal life
Mitchell is married to Byron Katie, founder and promoter of the self-inquiry method "The Work".[11]
