Stephen MacKenna
Who was Stephen MacKenna?
Irish journalist, linguist and writer (1872–1934)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Stephen MacKenna (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Stephen MacKenna was born on January 15, 1872, in Liverpool, England, with Irish roots, and died on March 8, 1934, in London. He is most famous for creating what many scholars regard as the best English translation of the Enneads, the philosophical writings of Neoplatonist philosopher Plotinus, who lived from around 204/5 to 270 CE. MacKenna's work made the complex Neoplatonic ideas accessible to a wide English-speaking audience, turning the original Greek into a prose known for its beauty and accuracy.
Throughout his career, MacKenna was a journalist, writing for various publications and developing a unique literary style that later shone in his philosophical translations. His work took him across Europe, with substantial time spent in Ireland during a vibrant cultural and political period. He formed close ties with figures from the Irish Literary Revival, befriending influential writers like W. B. Yeats and J. M. Synge, and was part of a buzzing creative era in 20th-century Irish culture.
Translating Plotinus was a task that occupied MacKenna for about twenty years and was incredibly challenging both intellectually and personally. Plotinus's original texts in dense philosophical Greek required not just precise translation but an English version that conveyed its spiritual and philosophical richness. The five-volume translation was published from 1917 to 1930, with the final volume completed with help from B. S. Page due to MacKenna's declining health.
MacKenna's writing style was highly praised during his life and afterwards. W. B. Yeats was among those who applauded the translation, and classical scholar W. B. Stanford recognized its impact too. MacKenna was celebrated for his exceptional language skills and his ability to switch between journalism and philosophical translation demonstrated his wide-ranging literary talents. Despite receiving acclaim, MacKenna often faced financial struggles and poor health, which slowed his work considerably.
He passed away in London in 1934, leaving a body of work that, although not large, made a significant impact on English literature and the understanding of ancient philosophy by English speakers. His translation of Plotinus is still published today and is frequently read and referenced by philosophers, literary scholars, and anyone interested in Neoplatonic thought.
Before Fame
Stephen MacKenna was born in Liverpool in 1872 into the Irish community that settled in northern England after the upheavals of the nineteenth century. While the details of his early education are unclear, he leaned toward journalism as a young man, a career that offered intellectual challenges and some independence. His journalism work took him across Europe, and he gained a broad cultural education through his travels and reading, rather than formal schooling.
His deep involvement in Irish cultural and intellectual life, especially during the Irish Literary Revival, had a significant impact on him. Through his connections with Yeats, Synge, and others active in that movement, MacKenna was at a crossroads of literary ambition and political awareness. It was during this time that he began to apply his considerable language skills to the project that would make his name: translating Plotinus from ancient Greek into English.
Key Achievements
- Produced a celebrated five-volume English translation of the Enneads of Plotinus, published between 1917 and 1930
- Introduced Neoplatonic philosophy to a wide English-speaking readership through his literary and intellectually rigorous translation work
- Influenced major figures of the Irish Literary Revival, including W. B. Yeats and J. M. Synge
- Developed a distinctive English prose style in philosophical translation that was widely admired by contemporaries and subsequent scholars
- Worked as a journalist across Europe and Ireland, contributing to the cultural discourse of the early twentieth century
Did You Know?
- 01.MacKenna's translation of the Enneads took approximately twenty years to complete and spans five volumes, representing one of the longest sustained individual translation projects in modern English letters.
- 02.Despite having no formal university education, MacKenna taught himself ancient Greek to a level of proficiency sufficient to translate one of the most technically demanding philosophical texts in the classical canon.
- 03.J. M. Synge, the playwright best known for The Playboy of the Western World, was among MacKenna's close personal friends, and the two corresponded extensively during the years of the Irish Literary Revival.
- 04.MacKenna suffered from chronic ill health for much of his adult life, and the final volume of his Plotinus translation had to be completed by the scholar B. S. Page because MacKenna was too unwell to finish it himself.
- 05.W. B. Yeats drew on Neoplatonic concepts in his own mystical and symbolic writing, and MacKenna's translation is thought to have contributed to Yeats's engagement with that philosophical tradition.