Introductionbernard knox and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles. Has any book been recast into english more times than virgils aeneid. He taught english and comparative literature for many years at princeton university. The great epic of western literature, translated by the acclaimed classicist robert fagles a penguin classic robert fagles, winner of the penralph manheim medal for translation and a 1996 academy award in literature from the american academy of arts and letters, presents us with homers bestloved and most accessible poem in a stunning. Aeneid and millions of other books are available for instant access. His first translation was of the poetry of bacchylides, publishing a complete set in 1961. From the awardwinning translator of the iliad and the odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of virgils great epic fleeing the ashes of troy, aeneas, achilles mighty foe in the iliad, begins an incredible journey to fulfill his destiny as the founder of rome. The aeneid, prose translation audiobook virgil 70 bc 19 bc, translated by john william mackail 1859 1925 the aeneid is the most famous latin. Robert fagless translations of both the iliad and odyssey have sold. Marks 19 professor of comparative literature, to discuss our forthcoming interview at the unterberg poetry center of the 92nd street y. Im participating in a book of the month sort of thing on another forum and i nominated the aeneid. Robert fagles, the poems newest translator, comes to the fray well armed. I have the most recent one, by robert fagles, on audio disc. Washington robert fagles, a princeton university professor whose translations of the three great epics of the classical world, the iliad, the odyssey, and the aeneid, have been recognized.
Whitehaired, tall and spare, he moves with the air of preparedness, flexibility and covert attentiveness of someone who, i correctly guess, has played a lot of tennis. For closer, wordforword translations, one should consult those of elaine fantham, or the prose versions of h. Robert fagles, whose acclaimed translations of homers iliad and odyssey. An unsparing portrait of a man caught between love, duty, and fate, the aeneid redefines passion, nobility, and courage for our times. Now, the muchanticipated new translation of virgils epic poem from the awardwinning translator reintroduces the aeneid to a whole new generation. An emeritus professor of comparative literature at princeton, he has already translated, with great success, homers.
Indeed the version i received was only books 1 to 7 just half of the aeneid. I found myself underlining passages throughout my reading. The aeneid, prose translation full audiobook youtube. One of the most magical passages in the aeneid occurs when the hero, in search of the golden bough that will allow him entrance to the underworld, is shown the way by two doves, emblems of his mother, venus. Fortunately, before his recent death, fagles also translated virgils aeneid. Fagles translated aeschylus and sophocles, among other authors, but he is most famous for his versions of the iliad, published in 1990. He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the. The aeneid penguin classics deluxe edition by virgil, robert fagles, et al. Robert fagless translations of both the iliad and odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and become the standard translations of our era. I was looking for robert fagles translation and when i purchased the kindle version, it was not the fagles version that i received. With this stunning modern verse translation, fagles introduces virgils aeneid to a whole new generation of readers and completes the classic triptych at the heart of western civilisation. However, i havent compared it to other translations. Robert fagles has books on goodreads with 1881558 ratings. I heard someone discuss robert fagles version of the aeneid somewhere most likely on a podcast.
In robert fagles s new english translation of the aeneid, virgils ancient war horse emerges as a work of surpassing beauty, feeling and even relevance. Homer was the first greek writer whose work survives. Between 1961 and 1996, fagles translated many ancient greek works. Robert fitzgeralds translation of virgils the aeneid is a text that sings with expert cadence and rhythm. Virgil 70 bc 19 bc, translated by john william mackail 1859 1925 the aeneid is the most famous latin epic poem, written by virgil in the 1st century bc. Featuring an illuminating introduction to virgils world by esteemed scholar bernard knox, this volume lends a vibrant new voice. This translation holds its own with the verse renditions of john dryden, c. Retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original, this powerful blend of.
The aeneid from the awardwinning translator of the iliad and the odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of virgils great epic with his translations of homers classic poems, robert fagles gave new life to seminal works of the western canon and became one of the preeminent translators of our time. September 11, 1933 march 26, 2008 was an american professor, poet, and academic, best known for his many translations of ancient greek and roman classics, especially his acclaimed translations of the epic poems of homer. Robert fagles, the poems newest translator, comes to the fray well. Buy the aeneid by virgil, robert fagles from waterstones today. So begins robert fagles magnificent translation of the. A sweeping story of arms and heroism, the aeneid follows the adventures of aeneas, who flees the ashes of troy to embark upon a tortuous course that brings him to italy and fulfills his destiny as founder of the roman people. The aeneid from the awardwinning translator of the iliad and the odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of virgils great epicwith his translations of homers classic poems, robert fagles gave new life to seminal works of the western canon and became one of the preeminent translators of our time. I marvel at the precision and time it must have taken fitzgerald to cobble this together. Fagles has translated sophocless three theban plays and aeschyluss voresteia. A suggested list of literary criticism on virgils the aeneid. There are different versions, translated by different people and amazon does not seem to differentiate well between them.
First printing thus of this fagles translation of the noted epic, near fine black cloth hardcover shows some mild shelf and trace wear, else tight and clean, in a near fine dust jacket price at flap that shows a few runs spots at edges. Robert fagles s latest achievement completes the magnificent triptych of western epics. Featuring an illuminating introduction to virgils world by. I dont recall what podcast or who discussed it, but it intrigued me enough to add it to this years list. From the awardwinning translator of the iliad and the odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of virgils great epic. Robert fagles national endowment for the humanities neh.
I listened to the very beginning and thought it was excellent. Sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of troy. Ferrys diction is accurate in tone and pitch, if not always literal. Just in the past dozen years, virgils aeneid has been tackled by robert fagles, stanley lombardo, frederick ahl, sarah ruden and, now, david ferry.
Robert fitzgeralds elegant rendition of the aeneid, the standard text, has. I also want to be engaging with these ancient works on a yearly basis. The iliad translated by robert fagle introduction and notes by bernard knox. In the 1970s, fagles began translating much greek drama, beginning with aeschyluss the oresteia. The aeneid by virgil and robert fagles penguin random house. The aeneid is a latin epic written by virgil in the 1st century bc that tells the legendary story of aeneas, a trojan who traveled to italy, where he became the ancestor of the romans.
Virgils the aeneid still looks strikingly contemporary. The listed critical essays and books will be invaluable for writing essays and papers on the aeneid. Robert fagles, whose acclaimed translations of homers iliad and odyssey were welcomed as major publishing events, brings the aeneid to a new generation of readers, retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original latin as well as its powerful blend of poetry and myth. For students tackling homer for the first time, fagles says the best way to appreciate the ancient epics is to act them out. Fagles translations of the iliad and the odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Robert fagles s awardwinning translations of homers twin works the iliad and the odyssey have sold more than a million copies and become classics in their own right.
Homer, translated by robert fagles, introduction and notes by bernard knox published by viking press penguin group usa, new york, london, victoria, auckland 1996 isbn. T homas jeffersons assertion that every generation needs a new revolution has long been adopted by translators. Robert fagles robert fagles and i met several times in his office at princeton, where he is arthur w. It surpasses them, however, in the intense sympathy it displays for its human actorsa sympathy that makes events such as aeneass escape from troy and search for a new homeland, the passion and the death of dido, the defeat of turnus, and the. Written by virgil introduction by bernard knox translated by robert fagles. Robert fagles, whose acclaimed translations of homers iliad and odyssey were welcomed as major publishing events, brings the aeneid to a new generation of readers, retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original latin as well as its powerful blend of.