Selected Works (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Marcus Tullius Cicero (Author), Michael Grant (Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0140440992 | ISBN-13: 978-0140440997 | Publication Date: September 30, 1960

Lawyer, philosopher, statesman and defender of Rome's Republic, Cicero was a master of eloquence, and his pure literary and oratorical style and strict sense of morality have been a powerful influence on European literature and thought for over two thousand years in matters of politics, philosophy, and faith. This selection demonstrates the diversity of his writings, and includes letters to friends and statesmen on Roman life and politics; the vitriolic Second Philippic Against Antony; and, his two most famous philosophical treatises, "On Duties" and "On Old Age" - a celebration of his own declining years. Written at a time of brutal political and social change, Cicero's lucid ethical writings formed the foundation of the Western liberal tradition in political and moral thought that continues to this day.

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About the Author

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 bc), Roman orator and statesman, was born at Arpinium of a wealthy local family. Having been educated in Rome, by 70 bc he had established himself as a leading barrister and was beginning a successful political career. Cicero received honors usually reserved only for the Roman aristocracy and was one of the greatest Roman orators. Michael Grant has been successively Chancellor's Medallist and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh University, first Vice-chancellor of Khartoum University, President and Vice-chancellor of Queen's University, Belfast and President of the Classical Association.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (September 30, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140440992
• ISBN-13: 978-0140440997
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Latin
  • #36 in Books > History > Ancient > Rome

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Heart That Beats Beneath the Statuary, October 17, 2000

By 

James Paris "Tarnmoor" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Selected Works (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

How many men and women who have lived more than 2,000 years ago have impressed us with their humanity? We tend to see the statuary, but rarely the person behind it. When you read this outstanding selection edited by the excellent classical historian Michael Grant, you see that Marcus Tullius Cicero has a human face -- and it shows in his work.

The Roman Republic that Cicero loved was falling apart. Marius and Sulla, the Gracchi, the conflicts over the powers of the tribunes had dealt a severe blow to a form of government that had proved itself adequate for governing a city-state, but less so for managing a multi-cultural empire. Cicero fought valiantly against corrupt governors like Verres ("Against Verres") and would-be dictators like Marc Antony ("2nd Phillipic Against Antony"). When he finally threw in his lot with Pompey, he picked the wrong horse and put himself in harm's way. Eventually, Augustus and Antony had him killed as an obstacle to their plans.

The wonderful letters that Cicero wrote to his friend Atticus and others such as Pompey show his hurt at having been rudely pushed aside. He saw himself as the Savior of Rome for his part in quashing the conspiracy of Catiline, but he lived in a world where "What have you done for me lately?" was the question of the day.

Increasingly, Cicero turned to farming and philosophizing. His essays "On Duty" and "On Old Age," reprinted here, are penetrating, humane, and even Christian in a way. One could see why monk copyists of the Middle Ages saw in the Roman senator a pre-Christian piety at work.

Michael Grant supplies an excellent introduction, maps, genealogical charts, timelines, and even a glossary to guide the reader through Cicero's work. This book is definitely a keeper.

77 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Grant + Cicero = pure greatness!, February 26, 2000

By 

D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Selected Works (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Michael Grant is one of the foremost scholars of classical civilization in the world. Being thus, he is an ideal candidate to translate the works of what was perhaps the greatest orator of all time.

This book contains some wonderful tirades which Cicero wrote - including his bitter (not to mention comical) attacks on Marc Antony (the same vehement and outspoken verbal assaults which led to his execution after the the banishment of Brutus and Cassius). It also contains Cicero's thoughts on topics such as old age and duty ethics (I wonder: how much Cicero did Kant read?). These are the writings of one of the most influential Romans from all time; a man who made his imprint on the history of the discourse of polemics. This is a fine book that contains the works of a gentleman who is sadly far under-read in this day & age.

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A note on the translation, November 21, 2004

By 

Lao Tzu "chow-dog" (Vancouver, BC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Selected Works (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

I don't want to summarize the content here. I only want to talk about Michael Grant's translation.

Let's admit one fact: Grant's translation is not that good. I suggest you to check out Cicero's works published by OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSCIS: P.G.Walsh and D.H.Berry are more competent than Grant, and they are fascinating indeed. Grant often unnecessarily chops up a sentence, rendering it ends up with a whole lot of commas, and this utterly destroy the fluency and lucidity of Cicero. In my opinion, D.H.Berry (who published Cicero's DEFENCE SPEECHES) is thus far the best Ciceronian translator.

So why is it still worth 3 stars? It is mainly because of the contents, such as AGAINST VERRES, THE SECOND PHILIPIC, and ON OLD AGE, which are still not translated by OXFORD. Therefore, we have no choice but to stick with Grant's translation (unless you want to buy the expensive Loeb edition). If OXFORD will release more of Cicero's titles, I will definitely throw away Michael Grant's.