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Roman Poetry: From the Republic to the Silver Age
Meshing her own wit, verve, and gusto with that of the Roman poets she translates, Dorothea Wender strips both the cloak of awe and the dusty mantle of boredom from the classics.
Available for the first time in paper, these English verse translations of the major classical Roman poets feature hefty selections from the savage urban satire of Juvenal, the moving philosophy of Lucretius, the elegance of Horace, the grace and humor of Catullus, the grave music of Virgil, the passion of Propertius, the sexy sophistication of Ovid, and the obscenity of Martial.
Noting Wender’s “candor,” the Classical Outlook reported that in “20th-century terms, she makes the poems lively and pertinent.”
The Boston Globe said, “The conciseness is astonishing, the information [in the introductions to each poet] provocative. The freshness of the selections should do much to augment the audience for these poets and may even inspire examination of the originals.”
The best advice came from Wender herself: “Read these good poems.”
Available for the first time in paper, these English verse translations of the major classical Roman poets feature hefty selections from the savage urban satire of Juvenal, the moving philosophy of Lucretius, the elegance of Horace, the grace and humor of Catullus, the grave music of Virgil, the passion of Propertius, the sexy sophistication of Ovid, and the obscenity of Martial.
Noting Wender’s “candor,” the Classical Outlook reported that in “20th-century terms, she makes the poems lively and pertinent.”
The Boston Globe said, “The conciseness is astonishing, the information [in the introductions to each poet] provocative. The freshness of the selections should do much to augment the audience for these poets and may even inspire examination of the originals.”
The best advice came from Wender herself: “Read these good poems.”
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1980
About the author
Dorothea Wender
3 books1 followerAka Theodora Wender
Dorothea Schmidt Wender was born in 1934 in Ohio and graduated from Radcliffe College, and then went to the University of Minnesota and Harvard University. She has been Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Classics at Wheaton College, Massachusetts. Her publications include book reviews and scholarly articles.
Dorothea Schmidt Wender was born in 1934 in Ohio and graduated from Radcliffe College, and then went to the University of Minnesota and Harvard University. She has been Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Classics at Wheaton College, Massachusetts. Her publications include book reviews and scholarly articles.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 7, 2017
Dorothea Wender is just fabulous. Her wit and cutting scholarship bring me such joy. I can see why some of the more stodgy classicists might have taken issue with her, but in my opinion, she nails it again and again. Top notch marks for her. Well worth your time in reading this volume (and her translation of Hesiod and Theognis).
This collection of Roman poetry was a joy to read, even if at times I wasn't taken (nor was she) by some of the authors. Her opening paragraph of the introduction just nailed the differences between Greek and Roman specialists. I laughed out loud! Later, in the same introduction, she talks about the difficulty of translation as Roman readers would know quite a bit of mythology that many today aren't familiar with. It made me think about the cultural knowledge we share today but how that base of knowledge has become much more framgmented and divided in our digital age. Many of us simply don't share the same sources we did just 20 years ago.
I enjoyed Catullus's poem 51, an adaptation of Sappho's poem 31. I thought Wender's translation of Lucretius's De Rerum Natura was better than the one I read by Stallings (especially lines 1.62-84 and 3.870-887). Her comments on Virgil struck me, especially with regard to his Georgics. She says Cato will tell you how to farm but Virgil makes you want to farm (p. 47). I liked her thoughts on Horace and Ovid. On Ovid, she notes that he is easy to read but not a good re-read (p. 101). However, she does tone that down by saying he is a good storyteller (p. 101), and I agree. Her translation of the Metamorphoses is great, almost as lovely as the one I read by Charles Martin. And, I wholly agree with her negative thoughts regarding Martial and Juvenal.
Spend some time with this volume.
This collection of Roman poetry was a joy to read, even if at times I wasn't taken (nor was she) by some of the authors. Her opening paragraph of the introduction just nailed the differences between Greek and Roman specialists. I laughed out loud! Later, in the same introduction, she talks about the difficulty of translation as Roman readers would know quite a bit of mythology that many today aren't familiar with. It made me think about the cultural knowledge we share today but how that base of knowledge has become much more framgmented and divided in our digital age. Many of us simply don't share the same sources we did just 20 years ago.
I enjoyed Catullus's poem 51, an adaptation of Sappho's poem 31. I thought Wender's translation of Lucretius's De Rerum Natura was better than the one I read by Stallings (especially lines 1.62-84 and 3.870-887). Her comments on Virgil struck me, especially with regard to his Georgics. She says Cato will tell you how to farm but Virgil makes you want to farm (p. 47). I liked her thoughts on Horace and Ovid. On Ovid, she notes that he is easy to read but not a good re-read (p. 101). However, she does tone that down by saying he is a good storyteller (p. 101), and I agree. Her translation of the Metamorphoses is great, almost as lovely as the one I read by Charles Martin. And, I wholly agree with her negative thoughts regarding Martial and Juvenal.
Spend some time with this volume.
September 30, 2024
Fantastic. I was only familiar with Virgil's 'Aeneid' prior to this volume, but I'm definitely going to attempt to find more Latin prose.
5/5.
5/5.
August 17, 2012
Very eye opening. After reading this I realized how close to present day rappers, the Roman poets were with their beefs. Very good read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews