Synopses & Reviews
From the award-winning translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of Virgil's 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. His voyage will take him through stormy seas, entangle him in a tragic love affair, and lure him into the world of the dead itself--all the way tormented by the vengeful Juno, Queen of the Gods. Ultimately, he reaches the promised land of Italy where, after bloody battles and with high hopes, he founds what will become the Roman empire. An unsparing portrait of a man caught between love, duty, and fate, the Aeneid redefines passion, nobility, and courage for our times. 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. Featuring an illuminating introduction to Virgils world by esteemed scholar Bernard Knox, this volume lends a vibrant new voice to one of the seminal literary achievements of the ancient world.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Review
"Fagles's new version of Virgil's epic delicately melds the stately rhythms of the original to a contemporary cadence." New Yorker
Review
"A memorable achievement...Mr. Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time and yet timeless." New York Times Book Review
Review
"[M]agnificent....[S]o enjoyable that you will hardly know you are reading an ancient masterpiece....Fagles gives us an Aeneid so fresh, so of our moment, that even classicists may fail to recognize it..." Thomas Cahill, Los Angeles Times
Review
"Fagles excels at capturing the movement and violence of Virgil, with an almost cinematic style, electric with cutting, zooms and an intensity of focus on heroic action." San Diego Union-Tribune
Review
"Robert Fagles's Aeneid is, I think, the best translation of our age. It is lively and colloquial, though it uses a somewhat slower pace than Lombardo. This is an advantage. Fagles allows us to pause before rushing on to the next event. There are some wonderfully vivid descriptions....Yet Fagles's most impressive achievement is that he is sensitive to a far wider range of voices and points of view than any previous translator known to me." Emily Wilson, The New Republic (read the entire New Republic review)
Synopsis
Recounts the adventures of the Trojan prince Aeneas, who helped found Rome, after the fall of Troy.
Synopsis
Fagles' translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Now, the much-anticipated new translation of Virgil's epic poem from the award-winning translator reintroduces The Aeneid to a whole new generation.
Synopsis
The much-anticipated new translation of Virgil's epic poem, from the award-winning translator of Homer's
Iliad and
Odyssey
The publication of a new translation by Robert Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles is poised to reintroduce Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and complete the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
The Aeneid is a sweeping epic of arms and heroism and a searching portrait of a man caught between love, duty, and the force of his own destiny. Here, Fagles brings to life the timeless journey of Aeneas Achilles' erstwhile foe as he flees the ashes of Troy to found the Roman people and change forever the course of the Western world.
Fagles's translation of The Aeneid retains all of the gravitas and humanity of the original as well as its powerful blend of poetry and myth. Beautifully produced and featuring an illuminating introduction from noted scholar Bernard Knox, as well as an extensive notes section and glossary, this new translation will delight both classicists and general readers, providing a vibrant, contemporary voice to the literary achievement of the ancient world.
Synopsis
Praise for Robert Fagless translation of the Odyssey: Wonderfully readable . . . just the right blend of sophistication and roughness, it seems to me.
Ted Hughes
A memorable achievement . . . Mr. Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time and yet timeless.
Richard Jenkyns, The New York Times Book Review
Remarkably seductive . . . In Fagless hands, this perennial poem of adventure is again a work of entertainment, of majesty and epic beauty great enough to stun the senses.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Synopsis
Robert Fagles’s translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and become the standard translations of our era. Now, his stunning modern verse translation of Virgil’s Aeneid is poised to do the same. This beautifully produced edition of the Aeneid will be eagerly sought by readers desiring to complete their Fagles collection—and the attention it receives will stimulate even greater interest in his translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Synopsis
Praise for Robert Fagles’s translation of the Odyssey: “Wonderfully readable . . . just the right blend of sophistication and roughness, it seems to me.”
—Ted Hughes
“A memorable achievement . . . Mr. Fagles has been remarkably successful in finding a style that is of our time and yet timeless.”
—Richard Jenkyns, The New York Times Book Review
“Remarkably seductive . . . In Fagles’s hands, this ‘perennial poem of adventure’ is again a work of entertainment, of majesty and epic beauty great enough to stun the senses.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
@TranslatioStud Got a gift of a huge wooden horse today, here in Troy. Just appeared outside the city gate. BTW: War going poorly.
Surprise. Soldiers inside the horse. We didn’t start the fire! Hector’s Ghost says to GTFO – take Dad and the kid with me.
I’m on a boat. Three generations of Aenean men on a sea-journey of epic proportions. Hmm. Sounds familiar…
From Twitterature: The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less
Synopsis
"The Fagles translation is destined to be the English Aeneid of the new century." -The Wall Street Journal Robert Fagles's award-winning translations of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey have sold more than a million copies and become classics in their own right. With this modern verse translation of Virgil's Aeneid, Fagles completes the classic triptych at the heart of Western civilization. Retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original, yet vibrant and contemporary, this seminal literary achievement of the ancient world is an unsparing portrait of a man caught between love, duty, and fate.
Synopsis
From the award-winning translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of Virgil's great epic With his translations of Homer's classic poems, Robert Fagles gave new life to seminal works of the Western canon and became one of the preeminent translators of our time. His latest achievement completes the magnificent triptych of Western epics. 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. Retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original, this powerful blend of poetry and myth remains as relevant today as when it was first written.
Synopsis
About the Author
Robert Fagles is Arthur W. Marks Professor of Comparative Literature, Emeritus, at Princeton University. He is the recipient of the 1997 PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation.