David Raeburn

David Antony Raeburn (May 22, 1927 – February 1, 2021) was a headmaster, Oxford tutor, ancient literature translator, and director of Greek dramas. Throughout David's life, he spent much effort defending the role of classics in British education as well as performing Greek dramas.

Biography

Early life David was born as the eldest of seven children in Hampstead in North London. His parents were barrister-and-judge Walter Raeburn and artist Dora (née Williams). Walter (1897 – 1972, born in London) studied history at Christ Church, Oxford, later training to become a lawyer and passing the Bar in 1922. Marrying in 1925, he had four sons, three daughters (one of which dying soon after birth), as well as an adopted daughter from Austria. Walter enjoyed playwriting and dramatics as well as being active in his local church; he additionally served as the governor of multiple schools. His mother, Dora, helped design costumes for his plays. David was the cousin of John Schlesinger and engaged in some of his early celluloid endeavors.

David began learning Latin at the age of 8 and Greek at 10. His father had introduced him to classical music at an early age as well. There, David met Mary Faith Hubbard and married her in 1961, having two sons with her, Mark, who runs a computer security company, and Martin, an artist; and a daughter, Fiona. In 1970 headteacher at Whitgift in Croyden of South London where he maintained its strong arts culture, oversaw building a science and technology block, and led efforts to eliminate corporeal punishment in the school. David spent much of the rest of his life tutoring, teaching, and working with classics, especially at Oxford University, including giving lectures at Oxford colleges Exeter, Balliol and New College, and guest speaking at JACT's Ancient Greek summer school as well as working on five classical projects in Sydney, Australia from 1982 to 1998.

Directing

David's first interaction with classical plays was a Loeb edition of Alcestis in preparatory school; later, at Charterhouse, he read Cyclops and Prometheus Bound in their original Greek. Louis MacNeice translation, same as first performance in 1947 The book is dedicated to David's wife, Mary Faith, for her early draft revisions, subsequent notes, and moral support.

In 2008, Penguin published Electra and Other Plays including four of his translations of Sophocles' tragedies: Electra, Ajax, Women of Trachis, Philoctetes. Raeburn additionally provided the book's preface and notes.

In 2011, David co-authored The Agamemnon of Aeschylus: A Commentary for Students with Oliver Thomas, published by Oxford University Press.

David has unpublished translations of Sophocles' Theban Plays— Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Oedipus Coloneus— and Euripides' tragedies: Electra and Bacchae.