The Poems of Catullus [Paperback]

Gaius Valerius Catullus (Author), Charles Martin (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1989

In these new verse translations, Martin makes newly accessible the work of one of ancient Rome's most widely read poets who wrote about the life and language of the people in the streets. (Poetry)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is among the best of modern translations of Catullus. It is responsive to the diversity of Catullan meters and captures his swing from the voice of impassioned lover to that of abusive reviler, from the language of refinement and learning to that of a man-about-town conversant with street gutterese. The poems in this translation hold together well as a unified oeuvre while conveying with remarkable success Catullus's wit, elegantly controlled passion, and intermixture of contemporary Roman scenes and vast mythological landscapes.
- Stephen Scully, Boston Univ.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

A translation that successfully re-creates in English the wit, the lyric, exaltation, the playful banter, the despair, the scurrilous invective, and the dramatic flair of the original, all of it moving easily in artfully contrived and skillfully controlled English equivalents of Catullus' many and varied meters.

(Bernard Knox New York Review of Books )

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (November 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801839262
• ISBN-13: 978-0801839269
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Latin

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lively, vigorous translation with a contemporary feel, March 27, 2003

By 

Anacreon (Charlottesville, Va) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Poems of Catullus (Paperback)

Catullus is one of the poets who first kindled my love of poetry, and I was delighted to discover this excellent recent translation. Martin beautifully conveys Catullus' many faces and moods, from the mock-sweet lyric about his mistress' dead sparrow, to the spare, anguished syllables of odi et amo...much recommended...

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look for the 1979 Abbatoir edition, August 8, 2007

By 

Just a photog (Loess Hills) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Poems of Catullus (Paperback)

I have the 1979 Abbatoir edition of this book, hand printed in Omaha by Harry Duncan and it is a gem. There were only 250 copies printed so it is probably a tough book to find out there but it is a treasure.
It's worth looking for.

4 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For American English speakers only, January 23, 2007

By 

J. Webb (Sydney, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Poems of Catullus (Paperback)

Thiese translations by Martin are too cutesy in their use of modern American parlance.. 'Hooker,' ' his boy's fanny,' 'cruising,' 'faggot'... Ruins this book for me. I prefer the old Penguin edition I used to have.