Martial's Epigrams: A Selection [Hardcover]

Martial (Author), Garry Wills (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2008

Bawdy and biting epigrams, freshly translated, ready for enjoyment.

One of literature’s greatest satirists, Martial earned his livelihood by excoriating the follies and vices of his time, and set a pattern that satirists have admired and imitated across the ages. Born in Spain, Marcus Valerius Martialis (c. 40–102 CE), known in English as Martial, went to Rome as a young man to win fame and fortune. At the height of his career he published a book of scathing social commentary every year--1,500 poems in all, of which Wills translates about a third.

This exquisite translation from acclaimed author Garry Wills does not sacrifice the cleverly constructed effects of Martial’s short and shapely thrusts. Martial’s Epigrams make addictive reading and a perfect--if naughty--gift.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" Funny, wicked, and fresh, these epigrams . . . will give the reader plenty of smiles."
-The Philadelphia Inquirer --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Garry Wills holds a doctorate in the classics and taught ancient Greek at Johns Hopkins University before becoming the Henry Luce Professor at Northwestern University. He is professor of history emeritus at Northwestern. His translation of Saint Augustine’s Confessions was hailed by critics. Wills has written many works on history and religion, including What the Gospels Meant, as well as The New York Times bestsellers What Jesus Meant and What Paul Meant. His Lincoln at Gettysburg won the Pulitzer Prize.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (October 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670020397
• ISBN-13: 978-0670020393
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #880,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Garry Wills is one of the most respected writers on religion today. He is the author of Saint Augustine's Childhood, Saint Augustine's Memory, and Saint Augustine's Sin, the first three volumes in this series, as well as the Penguin Lives biography Saint Augustine. His other books include "Negro President": Jefferson and the Slave Power, Why I Am a Catholic, Papal Sin, and Lincoln at Gettysburg, which won the Pulitzer Prize.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading But ...., January 25, 2009

By 

David Keymer "David Keymer" (Modesto CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Martial's Epigrams: A Selection (Hardcover)

I seem to be on a Garry Wills kick lately, not a bad thing to be on. Wills won two National Book Critics Award and has published numerous books, including translations (most notably of Augustine's Confessions), works of history and political criticism, and books about his own Roman Catholic faith.

Recently I ordered three books by Wills including his translation of portions of Martial's Epigrams (2008). I was disappointed in the Epigrams. I don't fault Wills's facility with language: he once taught classical languages (Greek) at Johns Hopkins. Neither do I fault his opting to go for rhyme at the expense of literal translation. But I fault him for modernizing the text when he didn't have to, inserting modern names in verses. Martial doesn't need modernizing. He isn't contemporary except in his preoccupations: Wills notes this in his introduction, which, though short, is helpful in understanding this late Roman poet of scurrility and (usually nasty) gossip. Martial was a moralist of the dirt. His poems, when they work, are like extremely short variants of the Satyricon, than which little in literature is more salacious. Is Wills's translation of Martial worth reading? Definitely yes, if only to gain insight into this most uncommon Roman and the debauched society he excoriated. Is the book completely successful? No. I'd give it a C grade.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Does this pass for poetry?, February 15, 2009

By 

Poetry Reader "Brad" (Madison, Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martial's Epigrams: A Selection (Hardcover)

As an admirer of Mr. Wills' writing on theology and history and politics, I was a bit shocked by the artlessness and childishness of these translations, though perhaps the fact that his real strength lies in those other genres explains why he is so remarkably fails in this one. The spark and wit and bite of Martial sounds, in Mr. Wills' hands, like a bunch of potty mouthed teens who've gotten together to spray paint graffiti on the bathroom walls:

Such sexy dances does she innovate
That purity itself must masturbate.

Mr. Wills would be better sticking to what he knows best. And it isn't poetry.

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bawdy, backbiting and hilarious, February 1, 2009

By 

Margaret Lauterbach (Boise, ID USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Martial's Epigrams: A Selection (Hardcover)

Translations of Martial's bawdy and bitchy epigrams, as pertinent today as they were in the first century AD, when he wrote them.