Douglass Parker

Who was Douglass Parker?

Douglass Stott Parker, Sr. was an American classicist, academic, and translator.

Born in LaPorte, Indiana, the son of Cyril Rodney Parker and Isobel Parker, Douglass received an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from Princeton University. He was also a Fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies in 1961-1962, its inaugural year, and a Guggenheim Scholar. His translation of The Congresswomen was among the Finalists for The National Book Award in the category of Translation in 1968.

Parker is known for his work in Greek and Roman comedy, particularly his translations of Aristophanes’ plays Lysistrata, The Wasps and The Congresswomen. He is also known for his translations of Terence’s The Eunuch, and Plautus' The Brothers Menaechmus, as well as other classical and literary works. His translations of plays have been republished multiple times, and have been performed around the world. Lysistrata has had over two hundred productions.

Parker was Professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin for forty years, recruited there in 1967 by William Arrowsmith. Earlier he had been a professor at Yale and at the University of California, Riverside.