Customer Reviews

The Epigrams: Dual Language Edition (Penguin Classics) (Latin Edition)

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Everything said in my review of the first 6 books in Loeb's Martial I No 94) is true with greater force here. Book XI is the peak of the poet's nasty, often obscene, humor. Again, the 1993 translation is much more timely than the previous Ker edition by Loeb in the first part of the century. Reading this shows that in spite of almost 2000 intervening years, the crudest elements of decadent societies still run closely parallel. Read it, you'll be amazed.

For some sad reason, people think the classics are boring and dull and dry. They should read more things like this spicy, sassy collection of epigrams and poetry; Martial would certainly change their minds. When I was a high school student struggling to learn Latin, I bribed myself with Martial: learn enough, and I could read the naughty bits. It worked.

These short poems are laugh out loud funny. This is a very readable translation. Forget that these are considered "classics." There is nothing stuffy about these ribald, sarcastic, hilarious poems about Roman life. It is amazing how little people have changed! I spent a very enjoyable afternoon reading through these.