William Morris is popular across the world. His works have been translated extensively, and there are also biographies, articles, catalogues, and other materials available in many languages. This page brings together a selection of those materials, including PDF copies of historic translations.
If you know of other resources, please feel free to share them by contacting us.
Languages:
- Arabic
- Bulgarian
- Chinese
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- French
- German
- Hungarian
- Icelandic
- Italian
- Japanese
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Serbian
- Slovak
- Spanish
- Swedish
- Thai
Arabic – اَلْعَرَبِيَّةُ
Translation
William Morris, “How I Became a Socialist”, Arabic
وليام موريس. كيف صرت اشتراكيا.
Bulgarian – български
Translation
William Morris, The Kings Lesson, Bulgarian. 1894.
Chinese – 汉语
Other Materials
Selected bibliography of Chinese-language works. Includes Morris works in translation and works on Morris written by Chinese authors. Collected c. 2010.
Czech – Čeština
Translations
William Morris, “Monopoly; or, How Labour is Robbed”, Czech: “Socialism a Monopol” Translated by Josef Vesely. No date.
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Czech: Zvěsti z Nejsoucna čili Epocha Míru. 1900.
Other Materials
Brief Czech biography of William Morris
Danish – Dansk
Translation
William Morris,“The Day is Coming,” Danish: “Nyaars-Gry.” Translated by Jeppe Aakjær. Samlede Værker, 1901.
Other Materials
Brief Danish biography of William Morris, Uffe Birkedal, William Morris og Hans Betydning en Leventsskildring. Copenhagen: Simon Bernsteens, 1908.
Dutch – Nederlands
Translations
Essays
William Morris, “The Aims of Art,” Dutch: “De Doeleinden der Kunst.”
William Morris, “Architecture and History,” Dutch: “Bouwkunst en Geschiedenis.”
William Morris, “Art and Socialism,” Dutch: “Kunst en Socialisme.”
William Morris, “Art, Wealth, and Riches,” Dutch: “Kunst, Vermogen, en Rijkdom.”
All of the above from Dutch translation of Art and Society, Kunst en Maatschappij. Translated by M. Hugenholtz-Zeeven, Introduction by Henri Polak. 2nd ed. Rotterdam: Nieuwe Uitgave, 1905.
William Morris, “Monopoly, or, How Labour is Robbed,” Dutch: “Monopolie, of, Hoe de Arbeider Bestolen Wordt.” Amsterdam: J. Sterringa, no date.
Poetry
William Morris, selected poems from The Earthly Paradise: “The Son of Crœsus”, “The Proud King,” “Atalanta’s Race,” and “The Man Born to be King,” Dutch – “De Zoon Van Croesus,” “De Trotse Koning,” “De Wedloop Van Atalante,” en “De Man Geboren Om Koning Te Zun.” Translated by K. A. Borren. The Hague: N.V. Servire, 1931.
Prose
William Morris, A Dream of John Ball, Dutch: John Ball en Andere Vertalingen. Forward by Roland Holste-Van der Schalk. Amsterdam: W. Versluys, 1893.
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Dutch: Nieuws uit Nergensoord. Translated by F. van der Goes. Amsterdam: S.L. van Looy, 1897. (Google Books)
French – Français
Translations
William Morris, News from Nowhere, extracts, French: Nouvelles de Nulle Part, extraits. Translated by P. La Chesnais. Paris: Societé Nouvelle de Librairie et d’Edition, 1902.
Section française, William Morris, l’Archive Internet des Marxistes (Marxist Internet Archive) – external links:
- “Art in Plutocracy” – “L’Art en Ploutocratie”
- “Art or No Art? Who Shall Settle It?” – “La vie ou la mort de l’art”
- “How We Live and How We Might Live” – “Comment nous vivons. Comment nous pouvons vivre.”
- “Manifesto of the Socialist League” – “Manifeste de la Socialist League”
- “The Society of the Future” – “La société de l´avenir”
- “How I Became a Socialist” – “Comment je suis devenu socialiste”
- “Where Are We Now?” – “Où en sommes-nous?”
Other Materials
Edouard Guyot, L’Idee Socialiste chez William Morris. Paris: Arthur Rousseau, 1909.
Paul Meier, “L’Utopie de William Morris–Aboutissement ou Étape?” Journal of William Morris Studies 1.3 (Summer 1963): 10-13.
Selected bibliography of other French-language scholarship and Morris works in French translation.
German – Deutsch
William Morris Texte
Website with major collection of translated texts by and about William Morris. Partial index available as PDF.
Translations
William Morris, Chants for Socialists, German: Lieder der Arbeit. Translated by Lilly Nahler-Nuellens. Vienna, 1909.
William Morris, Chants for Socialists, German: Gesänge für Sozialisten. Translated by W. L. Rosenberg, Andreas Scheu, and John Henry Mackay. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1889.
William Morris, The Dream of John Ball, German: Eine königliche Lektion. Ein Traum von John Ball. Vienna, 1902.
William Morris, News from Nowhere, German: Kunde von Nirgendwo, ein utopischer Roman. Translated by Wilhelm Liebknecht. Stuttgart, 1920.
Collected translations by Hermann Seemann Nachfolger, Leipzig, 1901-1902
- “Some Hints on Pattern-Designing”, German: “Ein paar Winke über das Musterzeichnen”
- Hopes and Fears for Art, German: Kunsthoffnungen und Kunstformen
- I. “The Lesser Arts”, German: “Die niederen Künste”
- II. “The Art of the People,” “Die Kunst des Volkes”
- III. “The Beauty of Life,” “Die Schönheit des Lebens”
- IV. “Making the Best of It”, “Wie wir aus dem Bestehenden das Beste machen können”
- V. “The Prospects of Architecture in Civilization”, German: “Die Auslichten der Architektur in der Civilization”
- “An address delivered at the distribution of prizes to students of the Birmingham Municipal School of Art,” German: “Kunstgewerblíches Sendschreíben”
Other Materials in German
Selected bibliography of other German-language scholarship and Morris works in German translation.
Hungarian – Magyar Nyelv
Translations
William Morris, “The King’s Lesson”, Hungarian: “Egy Király Leckéje.” 1970.
William Morris, “Love is Enough”, Hungarian: “Szerelmed Elég.” Budapest, 1960.
William Morris, “The Story of the Unknown Church,” Hungarian: “Az Ismeretlen Templom Története.” 1932.
William Morris, “A Factory as it Might Be,” Hungarian: “A Gyári Munka Amilyen es Amilyen Lehetne.” Translated by Izsák Sándor. New York, 1922.
Italian – Italiano
Translations
William Morris, “The Defence of Guenevere,” Italian: “Guenevere si Difende”. Translated by Gabriella Micks.
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Italian: La terra promessa (chapter index). Translated by Ernestina d’Errico. Milan, 1895.
Other Materials
Camilla Poggi del Saldato, William Morris ed i suoi ideali sociali. Milan, 1914. Brief Italian-language biography of Morris, with a focus on his Socialist activities. Another copy can be viewed here.
Selected bibliography of other Italian-language scholarship and Morris works in Italian translation.
Japanese – 日本語
Translations
William Morris, “How We Live and How We Might Live,” Japanese: 吾等如何に生くべきか. Translated by 本間久雄 (Hisao Honma). Tokyo, 1925.
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Japanese: 理想卿. Translated by 堺利彥 (Sakai Toshihiko). Tokyo, 1904 (1920 edition).
Selected bibliography of Morris works in Japanese translation.
Other Materials
Nakayama Shuichi, “The Impact of William Morris in Japan, 1904 to the Present,” Journal of Design History Vol. 9, No. 4 (1996), pp. 273-283. (Requires JStor access.) This English-language article includes appendices of works by and about Morris in Japanese.
Polish – Polski
Translations
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Polish: Wieści z Nikąd: powieść utopijna. Translated by Marvi Kreczowskiej. Lwów (Lviv), 1902.
Other Materials
Portuguese – Português
Translation
William Morris, “Notes on the Founding of the Kelmscott Press,” Portugese: “Nota de William Morris sobre Seus Objetivos ao Fundar a Kelmscott Press.” Translated by Dorothée de Bruchard, 2003. (External link)
Russian – Pусский
Translations
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Russian: Вести ниоткуда, или Эпоха спокойствия. Translated by N. I. Sokolova (Н. И. Соколовой). Moscow, 1962.
William Morris, Selected Articles, Lectures, Speeches, Letters – Избранные статьи, лекции, речи, письма. Moscow, 1973.
- “Art and Its Producers,” Russian: “Искусство и его творцы”
- “How I Became a Socialist,” Russian: “Как я стал социалистом”
- Letter to Andreas Scheu, 5 September 1883, Russian: Письмо Андреасу Шою, 5 сентября 1883
- The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Manifesto, Russian: Манифест Общества защиты старинных зданий
Other Materials
Chronology of Morris’s Life and Works, “Даты Жизни И Деятельности Уильяма Морриса”
Aleksandr Anikst (А. Аникст), “Comments: The SPAB Manifesto”, “Комментарии: Манифест Общества защиты старинных зданий”, 1973.
Anna Matyukhina (А. В. Матюхина), “William Morris’s Adoration Tapestry in the Hermitage Museum.” Museum World 3 (2003): 40-42, Russian: Матюхина, «Яркая мечта» Уильяма Морриса. Шпалера «Поклонение волхвов» из собрания Государственного Эрмитажа. (Courtesy of the author.)
Nicholas Salmon, “William Morris (1834-96): A Brief Biography,” Russian: “Уильям Моррис (1834-96): краткая биография”
Serbian – Cрпски
Translation
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Serbian: Вести ни од куда. Translated by Dušan M. Bogosavljević (Душан М. Богосављевић). Beograd, 1911.
Slovak – Slovenčina
Other Materials
Mila Burcikova, brief William Morris biography, Slovak: “William Morris (1834 – 1896) – V skratke”
Mila Burcikova, longer William Morris biography, Slovak: “William Morris (1834 – 1896) – Umenie a spolocnost”
Spanish – Español
Translations
William Morris, “How We Live and How We Might Live,” Spanish: “Cómo vivimos y cómo podríamos vivir.” Barcelona, 1936.
William Morris, The Pilgrims of Hope, Spanish: Los Peregrinos de la Esperanza. Translated by and courtesy of Hope de Vega.
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Spanish: Noticias de Ninguna Parte. Buenos Aires, 1928.
Other Materials
Nicholas Salmon, “William Morris (1834-96): A Brief Biography,” “William Morris (1834–96): Biografia.” Translated by and courtesy of Hope de Vega.
Chronology of Morris’s Life and Principal Publications, Tabla Cronológica de la Vida y Principales Publications de William Morris
Swedish – Svenska
Translations
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Swedish: Nytt Fran En Ny Varld, Eller En Hvilans Tid. Translated by C.N. Carleson. Stockholm, 1892.
William Morris, News from Nowhere, Swedish: Fran Framtidslandet, Eller En tid af Hvila. Chapters 1 and 2. Translated by Axel Lundeberg. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Gnistan, July 15, 1891.
Other Materials
Brief biography of Morris: Waldemar Zachrission, William Morris: Strödda Drag ur Hans Liv. Tillvaro, 1926.
Thai – ภาษาไทย
Translation
William Morris, “The Society of the Future,” Thai: สังคมในอนาคต. Translated by and courtesy of Duangrudi Suksang.