Translating Virgil
Virgil remains one of the most important poets in the history of literature. This emerges in the rich translation history of his poems. Hardly a European language exists into which at least one of his poems has not been translated, from Basque to Ukrainian and Dutch to Turkish. Susanna Braund's book is the first synthesis and analysis of this history. It asks when, where, why, by whom, for whom and how Virgil's poems were translated into a range of languages. Chronologically it spans the eleventh- and twelfth-century adaptations of the Aeneid down to present-day translation activity, in which women are better represented than in earlier eras. The book makes a major contribution to western intellectual history. It challenges classicists and other literary scholars to reassess the features of Virgil's poems to which the translators respond and offers a treasure-trove of insights to translation theorists and classicists alike.
- Unique in its extensive chronological and linguistic range
- Organised by topic to offer multiple insights into the reception of Virgil's poems in European cultures
- Provides detailed navigational aids to help readers find their way around this rich and complex text
Product details
August 2025Hardback
9781108470612
1022 pages
235 × 160 × 65 mm
1.54kg
Not yet published - available from July 2025
Table of Contents
- Introduction: First attempts and first principles
- 1. Translation, nationalism and transnationalism
- 2. The translator's identity
- 3. The economics of translating Virgil
- 4. Competition, retranslation and travesty
- 5. Poetic careers of Virgil translators
- 6. Partial translations of Virgil
- 7. Supplements and paratextual material
- 8. Fidelity of form: Metre matters
- 9. Fidelity of concepts and register
- 10. Equivalences and identifications.