- Hardcover: 238 pages
- Publisher: Harvard University Press (9 Sep 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0674031059
- ISBN-13: 978-0674031050
- Product Dimensions: 18 x 11.4 x 2.6 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,007,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Consolation of Philosophy
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
This is a beautifully made little book that I have taken with me on a number of trips, partly just for the pleasure of holding it. At any time I would be glad to have it. -- John Wilson "Books and Culture" (03/20/2009)
Product Description
In this highly praised new translation of Boethius' "The Consolation of Philosophy", David R. Slavitt presents a graceful, accessible, and modern version for both longtime admirers of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature and those encountering it for the first time. Slavitt preserves the distinction between the alternating verse and prose sections in the Latin original, allowing us to appreciate the Menippian parallels between the discourses of literary and logical inquiry. His prose translations are lively and colloquial, conveying the argumentative, occasionally bantering tone of the original, while his verse translations restore the beauty and power of Boethius' poetry. The result is a major contribution to the art of translation.Those less familiar with Consolation may remember it was written under a death sentence. Boethius (c. 480-524), an Imperial official under Theodoric, Ostrogoth ruler of Rome, found himself, in a time of political paranoia, denounced, arrested, and then executed two years later without a trial. Composed while its author was imprisoned, cut off from family and friends, it remains one of Western literature's most eloquent meditations on the transitory nature of earthly belongings, and the superiority of things of the mind. In an artful combination of verse and prose, Slavitt captures the energy and passion of the original. And in an introduction intended for the general reader, Seth Lerer places Boethius' life and achievement in context.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
19 of 25 people found the following review helpful
A Good, Solid, Readable, Beautiful, Understandable Translation
10 April 2009
Format:Hardcover
I have not read this edition, but I own it and plan to this summer. Why am I reviewing it now? Because, well, nobody else has.
I've read the Consolation before, in several versions (Watts, James, Green), and this is the only one that I've seen that has a decent introduction by Seth Lerer, a must for readers unfamiliar with the text, with Boethius as a man, and with the time he lived in. Also, a short bibliography is given, which is always useful.
Additionally, for $15, this is a hardback. Hardback beats softcover any day of the week. The dust jacket has magnificent design by Tim Jones, showing almost the book being uncovered, revealed, out of the darkness of time--and as something precious and personal, something that was once often carried around for comfort and solace.
This edition mimics that. The pages are a nice ivory--not the harsh white of other editions, in a good readable serif font. The book is small and dignified, and the font is large enough to read easily and small enough to not be cloying.
Finally, as to the text--and again, I have finished reading this translation--the poetic sections of Boethius's work are translated _into poetry_. The poems are not translated into rhyming couplets, as some other translators have done, but have a good cadence of assonance and alliteration.
UPDATE:
I have now read this version, and teach out of it. Since my initial review, I've also seen the Oxford Walsh translation, but it sounds a little stuffy for my tastes, and oddly uses verse-style numbering in the prose passages. Aside from these issues, the quality of the paper and the book seems quite insufficient--pulpy and floppy, especially compared to the firm crispness of this edition. Of course, that translation is available on the Kindle, so if you're looking for a modern translation you can use digitally, that's your best bet.
I've read the Consolation before, in several versions (Watts, James, Green), and this is the only one that I've seen that has a decent introduction by Seth Lerer, a must for readers unfamiliar with the text, with Boethius as a man, and with the time he lived in. Also, a short bibliography is given, which is always useful.
Additionally, for $15, this is a hardback. Hardback beats softcover any day of the week. The dust jacket has magnificent design by Tim Jones, showing almost the book being uncovered, revealed, out of the darkness of time--and as something precious and personal, something that was once often carried around for comfort and solace.
This edition mimics that. The pages are a nice ivory--not the harsh white of other editions, in a good readable serif font. The book is small and dignified, and the font is large enough to read easily and small enough to not be cloying.
Finally, as to the text--and again, I have finished reading this translation--the poetic sections of Boethius's work are translated _into poetry_. The poems are not translated into rhyming couplets, as some other translators have done, but have a good cadence of assonance and alliteration.
UPDATE:
I have now read this version, and teach out of it. Since my initial review, I've also seen the Oxford Walsh translation, but it sounds a little stuffy for my tastes, and oddly uses verse-style numbering in the prose passages. Aside from these issues, the quality of the paper and the book seems quite insufficient--pulpy and floppy, especially compared to the firm crispness of this edition. Of course, that translation is available on the Kindle, so if you're looking for a modern translation you can use digitally, that's your best bet.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A worthy edition of a worthy book
20 Oct 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I begin my comments with two disclaimers: (1) I would not presume to "review" Boethius, but I can offer a few superficial comments on this edition which may be of use to potential buyers; and (2) I do not know Latin, but can read Boethius only in translation.
There were many passages in this translation that I recognized as being definitely idiomatically modern. Those passages felt anachronistic to me and made me doubt to some extent that I was reading "the real thing", at least as much as one can ever read "the real thing" in translation. On the whole, though, allowing for that one not insignificant complaint, I recommend this translation for its fine, clear style.
The evident modernity of the translation made me want to read some other translation, so that when I was finished with this one, then just for something different, I chose Chaucer's Middle English translation, "Boece". I could not have successfully read "The Consolation of Philosophy" for the first time in Middle English, but I can read it in M.E. the second time. I am still chipping away at that, but so far Chaucer's translation seems distinctly more emotional to me than Slavitt's, and thus conveys a very different feeling. Maybe Chaucer and Slavitt have both impressed the emotional styles of their own ages onto the text? But how would I ever know? In any case, if the style of Slavitt's translation made me at once mostly happy, and yet needing to read another, then that is a sign of success for the translation.
As for Lerer's introduction, and also the physical quality of the book, I second the favorable comments of another reviewer, Mr. Allen Shull; see his review.
There were many passages in this translation that I recognized as being definitely idiomatically modern. Those passages felt anachronistic to me and made me doubt to some extent that I was reading "the real thing", at least as much as one can ever read "the real thing" in translation. On the whole, though, allowing for that one not insignificant complaint, I recommend this translation for its fine, clear style.
The evident modernity of the translation made me want to read some other translation, so that when I was finished with this one, then just for something different, I chose Chaucer's Middle English translation, "Boece". I could not have successfully read "The Consolation of Philosophy" for the first time in Middle English, but I can read it in M.E. the second time. I am still chipping away at that, but so far Chaucer's translation seems distinctly more emotional to me than Slavitt's, and thus conveys a very different feeling. Maybe Chaucer and Slavitt have both impressed the emotional styles of their own ages onto the text? But how would I ever know? In any case, if the style of Slavitt's translation made me at once mostly happy, and yet needing to read another, then that is a sign of success for the translation.
As for Lerer's introduction, and also the physical quality of the book, I second the favorable comments of another reviewer, Mr. Allen Shull; see his review.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
