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The Satyricon (Penguin Classics) by [Petronius, Helen Morales, J P Sullivan]

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Petronius Arbiter

The Satyricon (Penguin Classics) Kindle Edition

by Petronius (Author), Helen Morales (Editor), J P Sullivan (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

72 ratings

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The Satyricon is one of the most outrageous and strikingly modern works to have survived from the ancient world. Most likely written by an advisor of Nero, it recounts the adventures of Encolpius and his companions as they travel around Italy, encountering courtesans, priestesses, con men, brothel-keepers, pompous professors and, above all, Trimalchio, the nouveau riche millionaire whose debauched feasting and pretentious vulgarity make him one of the great comic characters in literature. Estimated to date from 63 - 65 AD, and only surviving in fragments, The Satyricon nevertheless offers an unmatched satirical portrait of the age of Nero, in all its excesses and chaos.

Print length

230 pages
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin
Publication date

October 6, 2011
File size

1638 KB
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Juvenal
92
Kindle Edition
$10.49
Virgil
1,074
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$14.99
Apuleius
195
Kindle Edition
$10.49
Aristophanes
289
Kindle Edition
$10.99
Petronius
61
Kindle Edition
$10.99
Catullus
21
Kindle Edition
$9.99

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This version by a translator who understands the high art of low humor is conspicuously funny."
—Time

"William Arrowsmith's translation of The Satyricon meets the two fundamental requirements of the translator's art: perfect fidelity to the original and a vitality of style that tempts the reader to believe that the English version is not a translation.… A classic of literature."
—Allen Tate

"Arrowsmith's brilliant translation … at one stroke renders every other version obsolete."
—London Times Literary Supplement

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Petronius Arbiter (Gaius, or Titus) who is usually accepted as identical with the author of the Satyricon, flourished at the time of the emperors Claudius (AD41-54) and Nero (AD54-68), and Tacitus speaks of him in the Annals, where he describes his suicide after condemnation by Nero. At one time Governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor, Petronius later became Nero’s close friend and his arbiter of taste and manners. He appears to have indulged freely in the dubious life of Nero’s court, yet in the Satyricon reveals a keen awareness of the wider society around him with its weaknesses and follies, as well as his own educated background in Greek and Roman literature, lore, and philosophy. The Satyricon is one of the very few light-hearted prose works from the Roman period and, with Apuleius’ The Golden Ass, helped to found the picaresque tradition which later European literature adopted and embellished.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005HHSXRI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; Revised ed. edition (October 6, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 6, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1638 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 230 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0140448055

Best Sellers Rank: #1,074,809 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #488 in Ancient, Classical & Medieval Poetry (Kindle Store)
- #564 in Classic Fiction Anthologies & Collections
- #1,124 in Ancient & Classical Poetry

Customer Reviews:
72 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		64%
4 star		13%
3 star		12%
2 star		6%
1 star		5%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Margaret Petrov

Biggus Dickus

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

I bought this to research ancient references to werewolves, since this was written in 63 AD, it was a good start. There is only a couple of sentences about the werewolf, most of the book revolves around the escapades of a Roman and his slave boy as they wander in and out of brothels, are invited to grotesque feasts and set sail on a ship for seas unknown. An interesting look at what it was like to be young and horny in ancient Rome.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

sgt lamb

Frolics in the time of Nero

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 17, 2014

Verified Purchase

There are entertaining exchanges and adventures among the characters in this fiction, presumably based on real life rogues in the time of Nero. The footnotes are very good to make the best of the references to gods and others, although it is a pain to go back and forth from the text to the back pages. It brings to life the follies of ancient Rome, many of which ring true today. There are many gaps in the text (lost in time), so this is not a page-turner. The cover, by the way, is the ancient equivalent in mosaic of "Beware the Dog!"

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Shu Lin

The translator capitalised "god" and used "God Almighty" in the ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

The translator capitalised "god" and used "God Almighty" in the translation. Such wording makes this translation out of place. Should bought another translation.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Karla Burgos

Two Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 8, 2018

Verified Purchase

so difficult to understand!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 25, 2015

will buy again

I have a friend in Rome

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 18, 2020

In what is arguably the first novel in western literature, Petronius’ Satyricon is a remarkable, shockingly vivid account of life under Nero. Blending poetry, picaresque allegory, and reportage, the Satyricon is a miracle of artistic representation. While readers may find it difficult to enter into the remote world of ancient Roman life in this way, there are scenes here that are overflowing with detail and structure. (The dinner scene with Trimalchio is decisive in this regard).

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Richard Rochester

Meh

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 1, 2022

Verified Purchase

OK, it’s a classic I suppose, but not my cup of tea. Rarely don’t finish books, but this was one of them. If this was required reading….would have finished it, but it wasn’t, so I didn’t.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

fridge magnet

Time travel!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

An amazing look back in time. This is what novelist dream of? To record time&space for the future etc?

Alison

As funny now as when it was written.....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

A wonderfully funny translation which reads easily in a modern world. Using it to back up Latin lessons where we are working on the expurgated version, which is missing the juicy bits!

3 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

This translation is clear and easy to read with useful notes.

S W

Hilarious and easy to read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

Very nice translation, not at all heavy going and very easy to read

totenhaus

Clear, fluent translation

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

J.P. Sullivan's excellent translation of a challenging and mysterious novel (even now!) remains fresh and modern whilst capturing the original flavour of the text. It is accompanied by a useful introduction and helpful explanatory notes, which can help unravel some of the oddities of what Petronius writes. The translation to me also seems to be more readable and free-flowing than the Oxford World's Classics edition, and has better print quality. Sullivan's translation is useful both for readers without any knowledge of Latin and for Latin students who wish to explore some Petronius! Definitely worth the money in my view.

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