The Aeneid

De: Virgil, Robert Fagles - translator, Bernard Knox - introduction, Robert Fagles

Narrado por: Simon Callow

From the award-winning translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of Virgil's great epic

Fleeing the ashes of Troy, Aeneas, Achilles’ mighty foe in the Iliad, begins an incredible journey to fulfill his destiny as the founder of Rome. His voyage will take him through stormy seas, entangle him in a tragic love affair, and lure him into the world of the dead itself--all the way tormented by the vengeful Juno, Queen of the Gods. Ultimately, he reaches the promised land of Italy where, after bloody battles and with high hopes, he founds what will become the Roman empire. An unsparing portrait of a man caught between love, duty, and fate, the Aeneid redefines passion, nobility, and courage for our times. Robert Fagles, whose acclaimed translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey were welcomed as major publishing events, brings the Aeneid to a new generation of readers, retaining all of the gravitas and humanity of the original Latin as well as its powerful blend of poetry and myth. Featuring an illuminating introduction to Virgil’s world by esteemed scholar Bernard Knox, this volume lends a vibrant new voice to one of the seminal literary achievements of the ancient world. Translation ©2006 Robert Fagles
(P)2006 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. All rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Fitzgerald's is so decisively the best modern Aeneid that it is unthinkable that anyone will want to use any other version for a long time to come." —New York Review of Books

"From the beginning to the end of this English poem ... the reader will find the same sure control of English rhythms, the same deft phrasing, and an energy which urges the eye onward." —The New Republic

"A rendering that is both marvelously readable and scrupulously faithful.... Fitzgerald has managed, by a sensitive use of faintly archaic vocabulary and a keen ear for sound and rhythm, to suggest the solemnity and the movement of Virgil's poetry as no previous translator has done (including Dryden).... This is a sustained achievement of beauty and power." —Boston Globe

Great tale. Great voice actor. Distracting performance.

The story is obviously a classic. Simon callow is an incredible dramatic actor. And he puts on quite a performance here. But it's such a performance that it distracts from the story quite a bit. The voices he creates for old women and grieving women are a little over the top.

Ratings are of this version, NOT the real Aeneid

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this or any of the audio-format Aeneids to a friend. Vergil is one of the most difficult poets in any language to translate. And while Fagles' Iliad is a classic for a reason, he doesn't "feel" Vergil the way that he "feels" Homer. The translation is turgid and stodgy and. . .basically everything that people who do not read Latin assume that Vergil is.

I can only recommend either the Lombardo or Ahl translations, and neither has been recorded.

Would you ever listen to anything by Virgil again?

Absolutely, if someone records a better translation.

Do you think The Aeneid needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

And. . .we see auto-forms gone hilariously wrong.

The Roman Epic

I did not find this as gripping as either the Iliad or the Odyssey, but it is a solid work. If you have read Homer, much of the style will feel very similar. Definitely worth the time.

reader is too much

I generally enjoy an enthusiastic reader, however this was too much. the audio book sounds like a melodrama and has a whole lot of shouting. it was distracting. one star off on the story for being broken up into chapters that don't match the books of the story, very frustrating.

Good Exciting Story

This was a good book. Exciting and action packed. I also noticed the problem of wrong times for the chapters in the audiobook, and then I saw Maggie’s review which helped immensely. :) Great piece of classic literature