Das Kind der Liebe
(Literally "The child of love") A German play in five acts by August von Kotzebue.
Contents
The original text
Written in 1790 and first performed in the Liebhabertheater in Reval in 1790, possibly under the title: Das Kind der Liebe, oder: Der Strassenräuber aus kindlicher Liebe, cited by Engels (1992). It was first published in Leipzig in 1791 by P.G. Kummer.
The play has become quite famous through an English translation by Elizabeth Inchbald, which features in Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park.
Translations and adaptations
Dutch: Translated into Dutch as De Onechte Zoon and published in Amsterdam by H. Gartman and co. in 1793. The Dutch version also listed , on occasion, by F.C.L. Bosman (1928) as Aballino, De Onechte Zoon
English: At least four English adaptations of the play were published between 1798 and 1800, under various titles: Lovers' Vows by Elizabeth Inchbald (1798); The Natural Son by Anne Plumptre (1798); Lovers’ Vows; or, The Natural Son by Benjamin Thompson (1800); Lovers’ Vows, or The Child of Love by Stephen Porter (1798). Only Elizabeth Inchbald's version appears to have been performed in that time (Covent Garden, 1798).
See also Lovers' Vows)
Performances in South Africa
Inchbald's version also seems to have been the only version of Von Kotzebue's play performed in South Africa during the 19th century.
See Lovers' Vows for details on these productions
Sources
Original 1791 published text of Das Kind der Liebe[1]
Johann Jacob Engel. 1992. Briefwechsel aus den Jahren 1765 bis 1802 (edited by Alexander Košenina) Königshausen & Neumann: p. 268[2].
Lovers'_Vows in Wikipedia[3]).
