Aeneid [Hardcover]

Virgil (Author), Stanley Lombardo (Author), W. R. Johnson (Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0872207323 | ISBN-13: 978-0872207325 | Publication Date: March 31, 2005 | Edition: First Edition

A classicist best known for his translations of Homer, Sappho, Hesiod, and Callimachus returns to Roman poetry, offering a resonant new Aeneid.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An immensely valuable element of the edition is the extraordinarily generous Introduction provided by W. R. Johnson. -- Ralph J. Hexter, Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature, Dean of Arts and Humanities, University of California, Berkeley

Lombardo’s Aeneid is swift, lucid, and resonant. -- W. R. Johnson

No other translator comes close to Lombardo at capturing the pace and power of the poem. . . . --Joseph Farrell, Professor of Classical Studies and Associate Dean for Arts and Letters, University of Pennsylvania

About the Author

Stanley Lombardo is Professor of Classics, University of Kansas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 355 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co; First Edition edition (March 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872207323
• ISBN-13: 978-0872207325
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The new standard for the Aeneid, August 29, 2005

By 

Scott Chamberlain "Historian and archaeologist" (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aeneid (Paperback)

I bow to no one in my love of Robert Fitzgerlad's translation of the Aeneid--the standard for the last 25 years. Stanley Lombardo's relavatory translations, however, nudges the older one aside. Lombardo has a history of actually performing the great poems of antiquity, not at fashionable coffeehouses but on sidewalks, plazas, parks, and other public areas to the accompaniment of drums or music. And let me tell you, these performances capture his audiences--including jaded college students who leave their hacky-sacks and stand mesmerized while the readings go on. This kind of percussive, driven performances carries over into the book form, and similarly to his translations of the Iliad and Odyssey, you feel like you're reading a WWII triller. That is not to say his translation is ugly or course, particularly in this most elegant of poems. No, he matches being relentless with being refined to create a story that actually matters--it is a gripping tale that covers the very social, political and moral issues we struggle with today. But the language is so immediate that you can't put it down.

The Aeneid's fortunes have waxed and waned over the centuries, and for a while it was in danger of being relegated to a second-year Latin grammar text. This translation transforms the work and win over a whole new generation of listeners.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Translation, August 21, 2006

By 

K. Alexander "efesar" (Albuquerque, NM, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Aeneid (Paperback)

Stanley Lombardo really catches the essence of Vergil. I have read parts of Vergil's Aeneid in the original Latin, and I agree with his substance. I have also read Lombardo's translations of Iliad and Odyssey, both excellent. The English is up to date, rhythmic and fluid.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 15, 2005

By 

another reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aeneid (Paperback)

W. R. Johnson's introduction alone makes this book a valuable contribution to Virgil studies. And Lombardo's translation, while sometimes more creative than faithful, is very readable.