Customer Reviews

Aeneid

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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.

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.

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.

Stanley Lombardo does it again with characteristic flair with Virgil's Aeneid! He employs the same techniques and devices he used on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. (Seperating the text into paragraphs and sections, and italicizing Virgil's metaphors).

His translation is very faithful to the language and to the epic vision of Virgil's original but he makes it sound so modern that it could have easily been written in our own time!

I also like Jackson Knight's famous prose version and Sarah Ruden's new verse translation as my back ups. But Lombardo gives The Aeneid a peaceful breath and a spirited life I haven't seen anywhere else!

- Stanley Lombardo is always my reference when it comes to the great classics!

This Translation of one of the greatest works of world literature is not as good as the Robert Fagles translation, which I ratr Five star.

This item is an AWESOME shape! Shipping was super fast and it was a fair well worth price! A+++

After reading Stanley Lombardo's translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey, I decided to pick up his translation of the Aeneid as well. Both of Homer's epics were fast paced with the gods gently guiding each step of the way. The Aeneid, not so much. I found the romance between Aeneas and Dido interesting, but the whole time, one cannot help but think the whole poem is just an imitation of Homer. One thing I enjoy about Homer is that he is a blind bard who created his epics from the words whispered into his ears by the Muses, whereas Virgil most definitely composed the Aeneid simply because of Augustus' request. Though the story is interesting and Lombardo presents the poem in an exciting way, it simply does not compare to Homer. Furthermore, there are many references to Homer's epics in here so one ought to read the Iliad and the Odyssey first anyway.

The Aeneid is basically a sequel to the Iliad by Homer but told with a slant to Roman ideology and history. What Virgil has done with the Aeneid is to take Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and combine them into one work that takes the best out of the two originals and makes them valid and relevant to Roman sensibilities. (Just as Homer himself took the old legends and mythology of the Greeks and used them to create his two epic poems.)

Virgil does a wonderful job of keeping the reader engaged through the first half of his story. (Which is modeled after the Odyssey.) There is a real sense of adventure and finding love throughout this section of the book and the pacing moves it along rather quickly. Towards the end of this portion however, the book takes a turn in my opinion when Aeneas has to travel into the Underworld to visit the spirits of the dead. Things in this portion got a bit drawn out and dull to me and the climax of this scene was nothing more than a direct homage to the Roman rulers and their fine lineage. Basically, it was just a bunch of brown-nosing for the benefit of the ruling Caesar.

The second half of the book is the war section (the Iliad part of the book.) The pace once again picks up and we are rewarded for our persistence with an epic battle between the two grand heroes.

All in all, I found the Aeneid to be an entertaining read. Virgil does a nice job filling in missing events from the Iliad and Odyssey while also creating a continuation of the tale itself which leads to the founding of the Roman Empire.

If you're into the classics of literature, this is a must read.