- Hardcover: 360 pages
- Publisher: University of California Press; Bilingual Ed edition (9 Sep 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0520242645
- ISBN-13: 978-0520242647
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.1 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 314,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
Catullus, who lived during some of the most interesting and tumultuous years of the late Roman Republic, spent his short but intense life (?84-54 B.C.E.) in high Roman society, rubbing shoulders with various cultural and political luminaries, including Caesar, Cicero, and Pompey. Catullus's poetry is by turns ribald, lyric, romantic, satirical; sometimes obscene and always intelligent, it offers us vivid pictures of the poet's friends, enemies, and lovers. The verses to his friends are bitchy, funny, and affectionate; those to his enemies are often wonderfully nasty. Many poems brilliantly evoke his passionate affair with Lesbia, often identified as Clodia Metelli, a femme fatale ten years his senior and the smart, adulterous wife of an arrogant aristocrat. Cicero later claimed she poisoned her husband. This new bilingual translation of Catullus's surviving poems by Peter Green is fresh, bawdy, and utterly engaging. Unlike its predecessors, it adheres to the principle that the rhythm of a poem, whether familiar or not, is among the most crucial elements for its full appreciation. Green provides an essay on the poet's life and literary background, a historical sketch of the politically fraught late Roman Republic in which Catullus lived, copious notes on the poems, a wide-ranging bibliography for further reading, and a full glossary.
About the Author
Peter Green is Dougherty Centennial Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin and Adjunct Professor of Classics at the University of Iowa. He is the author of many books, including Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography (California, 1991) and Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age (California, 1990). His translations include Ovid's The Poems of Exile: Tristia and the Black Sea Letters (California, 2005), Juvenal's The Sixteen Satires (third edition, 1998), and Apollonios Rhodios's The Argonautika: The Story of Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece (California, 1997).
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
A look at the Contents page on 'See inside this book' shows the extent of notes etc making this a comprehensive edition of Catullus. Excellent translations, notes and introduction. The facing page original texts, even if you have no Latin whatever, are essential as you can begin to appreciate the concision and wit of the most modern of all the ancient poets,and along with Horace the most 'human'. I bought the hard-cover edition from an Amazon merchant for under £10. A handsome book, it opens easily and is a joy to read. Strongly recommended.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have seen Peter Green's translation mentioned as one of the better modern versions of Catullus. Like Guy Lee's (which I have), it is bilingual. Unlike Lee's, it is said to have have a full explanatory commentary. I have several of Green's other translations from Latin poets (all of them unfortunately monolingually Anglophone) and would certainly consider adding his Catullus to my collection. However, I note that Amazon offer only the highpriced hardback and not the available paperback (see the California UP website).
Without having read the book (but having put it on my wishlist for the future) I am happy to award it a provisional four stars, based on the combined reputations of Valerius Catullus, Peter Green and California UP.
Without having read the book (but having put it on my wishlist for the future) I am happy to award it a provisional four stars, based on the combined reputations of Valerius Catullus, Peter Green and California UP.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Less romantic than I expected
19 Feb 2006
Format:Hardcover
I got this book as a xmas gift from my mom. She picked it out from my wishlist. I've studied much Latin, but I completely skipped over Catullus as an undergrad. That's why, I put a Bilingual edition on my wish list rather than just an English translation. I wanted to get a real feel for the actual poetry.
I'm not very familiar with Catullus and I honestly thought that there would be more romantic love poems throughout the book. I think that it was a good thing that there were more 'vulgar' poems in the book because they left a strong impression and because they made those rare instances of romantic poetry stand out more brilliantly. Personally, my favorite poem was about Catullus thinking about his home. It really resonated with me because I have travelled so much.
I think that this is an excellent intermediate level Latin book and that if you haven't acquainted yourself with Catullus, this is the method to do so!
kittie
I'm not very familiar with Catullus and I honestly thought that there would be more romantic love poems throughout the book. I think that it was a good thing that there were more 'vulgar' poems in the book because they left a strong impression and because they made those rare instances of romantic poetry stand out more brilliantly. Personally, my favorite poem was about Catullus thinking about his home. It really resonated with me because I have travelled so much.
I think that this is an excellent intermediate level Latin book and that if you haven't acquainted yourself with Catullus, this is the method to do so!
kittie
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
indispensable
28 Oct 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
i am currently translating the extant works of Catullus, in aid of which i have 6 different translations. Peter Green's is the one that is indispensable, as well as the most pleasurable to read for its own sake.
for example, on the page facing his translation is the Latin text, a sine qua non for appreciating Catullus's brilliance.
there is also a glossary that explains the significance of each proper name to the poem in which it appears. and, most helpfully, there are notes to each poem that summarize not only Green's wise interpretation, but various views by other Catullus scholars.
the translation itself strikes a perfect balance, to my taste, of the literal Latin, Catullus's meaning and intent, and elegance (without stuffiness or pretension).
if you are going to buy only one book of Catullus's poems, or are thinking about adding to your collection of them, this is the one to get.
for example, on the page facing his translation is the Latin text, a sine qua non for appreciating Catullus's brilliance.
there is also a glossary that explains the significance of each proper name to the poem in which it appears. and, most helpfully, there are notes to each poem that summarize not only Green's wise interpretation, but various views by other Catullus scholars.
the translation itself strikes a perfect balance, to my taste, of the literal Latin, Catullus's meaning and intent, and elegance (without stuffiness or pretension).
if you are going to buy only one book of Catullus's poems, or are thinking about adding to your collection of them, this is the one to get.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The Poems of Catullus: very useful adjunct to the AP Latin Lit classroom
9 Feb 2008
Format:Hardcover
I have enjoyed sharing the translation of Cat. 63 with my AP students, and the complete text of Cat. 64 (after they read the Ariadne episode in Latin). It's very easy to glance across the page at the Latin and get at least some sense of it; since what we're reading in translation is in addition to the AP syllabus, this seems appropriate. The translator's notes on 63 and 64 are also worth reading, in my opinion. Using this book has allowed me a better way to make my students at least somewhat familiar with the long poems of Catullus.
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