The Aeneid

By: Virgil

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Aeneid is one of the greatest works in all of world literature. It is filled with mythology, history, and archaeology; it is infused with patriotism, religious feeling, and pathos; it is rich in adventure and romance. As the story begins, a storm shipwrecks Aeneas and his Trojan followers near Carthage in North Africa. There, Aeneas falls in love with Dido, queen of Carthage. But the gods order him to leave for Italy. In despair, Dido commits suicide. Upon finally reaching Italy, Aeneas goes down into the lower world and learns about his future descendants, the Romans.

(P)1992 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Serviceable, but proceed with caution

What I wanted to know before purchasing this was which translation was it?Audible doesn?t tell you, so I will?it is the current Penguin edition, translated by W. F. Jackson Knight. Not too literal, but yet it stays close enough to the original that if you know the Latin text, you can tell what line number you are on. The famous ?forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit? is adequately but not excellently rendered. You should have few gripes with the translator. As to the quality of this as an audiobook: An earlier reviewer gives the reader, Frederick Davidson, an unfairly bad rap. Davidson is an excellent and veteran reader, and many listeners of unabridged Dick Francis books will recognize his voice instantly. His reading is clear, he varies the characters well enough, and his cultured accent is pleasant. That said, this audiobook has significant problems. Recorded from a Blackstone Audio original from 1992 in format 1, and re-mastered into format 2 for some portables, the audio quality is marginal. It sounds like an old cheap Napster download. For someone not familiar with English accents, I can see why they might be disappointed with the end result. Proceed with caution.

Well-read (but Aeneas is still humorless)

Frederick Davidson's spirited reading of "The Aeneid" is finally available in enhanced format. As always his reading is vibrant and emotionally nuanced, with each character having a distinctive voice. The translation is in prose, lacking some of the bite of Fagles' version, but it lays out the story clearly. It makes a good companion to the outstanding readings of Homer by Anthony Heald, also available from Blackstone (and Audible). The violence in the poem is described in the graphic detail of someone who (probably) spent a lot of time at the Colosseum. My biggest problem with "The Aeneid" is with Aeneas himself: he just doesn't tug at my heartstrings the way Odysseus or Achilles or Hector do.

Frederick Davidson is the best

As with many things, the Romans copied/stole from conquered peoples. This is a repackaging of Homer (Iliad and Odyssey), which you should read first. Note: much easier to follow than Homer.

Narator is Horrible!

Frederick Davidson takes a great work and renders it unbearable. Who ever got this guy to read anything? At least I know now to avoid any audio book he reads.

Make sure to listen to the sample before purchase! Shame on you Audible!
unfortunately i can't give a rating of Zero for the review and it's ALL because of the horrible narrator.

What a voice and tone!

Would you try another book from Virgil and/or Frederick Davidson?

Definitely, the pitch of the voice and the tone of the voice is disengaging. I can not understand why is this narrator using that tone. The book wis excellent but the narrator is unappealing.

What was most disappointing about Virgil’s story?

The story is excellent.

Would you be willing to try another one of Frederick Davidson’s performances?

No, I eill never try another narration by this performer.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment, such a wonderful story, the quality of the performance is not suitable.

Well read, but not as engaging as Homer

Virgil basically just ripped off the works of Homer. So I would listen to the Iliad and the Oddysey first.