"Addressing both theoretical and practical questions surrounding Shakespeare in contemporary Asia, this book asks why Shakespeare has been of use in these vast regions of the world that have no need to call on him. By investigating some of the ways Shakespeare has been reinvented and deployed, the study notes the differences between standard western approaches and those that can be seen in Japan, China, India, and South East Asia. The contributors come from a wide variety of backgrounds and traditions, West and East, and present distinctive, and sometimes conflicting, views on topics as diverse as speaking Shakespeare in Japanese, the importation and exportation of Shakespeare in Asia, and the uses of the English national poet in Indian film and Japanese popular culture. The debates which occur within the book highlight the diversity of production and reception for the world's most popular playwright, whose work is now global cultural capital"--Provided by publisher.

"The aim of this collection is to expand theoretical and functional discussion about the condition and significance of Shakespeare performance in contemporary Asia. As we explain in the introduction, we do not pretend to a comprehensive view of the topic, or allot an equivalent number of essays to competing regions, or suggest that our examples are necessarily representative of national or international trends. Any such approaches would distort the topic, given the size of Asia and the diversity of approaches to Shakespeare and performance found there. Instead we have tried to focus attention on why Shakespeare has been of use in an area of the world that has no inherent reason to call on him, investigating some of the ways his work has been reinvented and deployed"--Provided by publisher.