Product Description

The legendary origin of the Roman nation which tells the story of the Trojan Prince Aeneas who escaped with some of his men after Troy fell and sailed to Italy under the protection of the goddess Venus. Here they settled and laid the foundations of Roman power.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75359 in Books
• Published on: 1991-02-28
• Original language: Latin
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From the Back Cover
'I sing of arms and of the man fated to be an exile ...'

Part of the beautifully presented 'Wonders of the World' series. A prose translation with an introduction by David West.

'A poem for our time? The Aeneid is the story of a man who lived three thousand years ago in the city of Troy in the north-west tip of Asia. What has that to do with us?

Troy was besieged and sacked by the Greeks. After a series of disasters Aeneas met and loved a woman, Dido, queen of Carthage, but obeyed the call of duty to his people and his gods and left her to her death. Then, after long years of wandering, he reached Italy, fought a bitter war against the peoples of Latium and in the end formed an alliance with them which enabled him to found his city of Lavinium. From these beginnings, in 333 years, in 753BC, the city of Rome was to be founded. The Romans had arrived in Italy.' From the Introduction

Customer Reviews

The greatest work of fiction ever.
The title says it all. All though, yes, Aeneas supposedly founded Rome the links to that proof are as tenuous as were those that led to that famous discovery of Agamemnon.

Virgil's work was unfinished at the time of his death. This was his 'shot at Homer's title' on which he worked, every day, for almost 20 years. Virgil wanted the book destroyed as he didn't consider it finished. Of course we can only wonder quite how good the book would have been if he had finished it.

This book was the culmanation of many works which parallel Homer's epic poems and the simerlarities are great. Due to this I advise you read both Homer's epic poems before reading this. The Odyessey so that you can see the parallels between the Aeneid and it; the Illiad so you can see the intricate details from which Virgil derives his tale.

The story follows Aeneas from Troy, after being sacked by the Greeks, he sails for Italy where he is destined to found the Roman race. Throughout his journey he (of course) encounters many trials which he has to pass to get to his 'final destination.' I personally do not speak Latin so I am unable to tell you how true this translasion is to the original but I can tell you it is extremely well written and has that 'joie de vivre' that is present in all ancient works. The story heavily utilises similies to convey meanings, these are all expertly crafted and have not lost their meaning even through time.

Although it is possible for 'the average reader' to read, enjoy and understand the Aenead with no trouble at all, unless you are a university don or happen to have an extensive knowledge in the classical era I advise you purchase a book, (if one is available,) which tells you the hidden meanings of the book. There are some things that you just would miss without one. The parallels to Pompey's death after Priams immediately spring to mind. Now that I come to mention it the death of Priam is possibly the greatest passage of literature ever and it is worth purchasing the book simply to read it.

The long and the short of it is that this book should be bought by anyone who considers themselves to have any remote interest in how literature has progressed, and what it progressed from. This poem was and still is a defining moment in literature and would complememt any book collection.

Best Translation Available
David West's translation is near perfect. It was the recommended edition for my university Latin course as it follows Virgil's text to the letter. This edtion will give you the most reliable indication of what the original text short of reading the Latin. It is brilliant. West manages to achieve all the momentum, excitement and feeling of the Aeneid. It is a great read. I highly recommend it.

Modern and competent, but not the entire text.
Decent translation, well read, but the catch (which you are not warned of) is that you don't get the entire text, just fairly full edited highlights.