I’m not an expert, so I have to take other people’s word for it. (I’ve read some commentary on the poem recently that questions this, suggesting that Virgil does, in fact, undermine the glorification of Aeneas at key points. Virgil seems to take received wisdom and the Grandeur that was Rome at face value, where Homer delightfully subverts everything he touches. As epic heroes go, Aeneas is a pill and a half: dutiful to a fault, self-righteous and self-justifying ("well, I never actually said the word MARRIAGE, did I?" he tells the anguished Dido). On the other hand, as jarring as the melodramatic flourishes seem at times, the truth is that Aeneas needs a boost. The four stars for Simon Callow’s performance are there because his delivery is so bold and declamatory that at times it verges on melodrama. The four stars I gave the story aren’t about the translation but about the hero, whom I have to admit I have never cared for. Fagles seems to have lost some of his shine in recent years as other translators have taken up the cudgel, but he still packs a wallop. Of those two I prefer the Fagles translation.
In the meantime, four stars ain’t bad, and this one, and the newer one from Naxos (narrated by David Collins) are the two I think are the best. If someone could talk Dan Stevens into doing Robert Fitzgerald’s translation, he might be able to knock it out of the park - he’s already done that for Homer. In my opinion, the audiobook world is still waiting for a 5-star rendition of The Aeneid. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. Here, Fagles brings to life the timeless journey of Aeneas as he flees the ashes of Troy to found Roman society and change forever the course of the Western world.įagles' translation retains all of the gravitas and humanity of the original as well as its powerful blend of poetry and myth. The Aeneid is a sweeping epic of arms and heroism and a searching portrait of a man caught between love, duty, and the force of his own destiny. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. Here is the much-anticipated new translation of Virgil's epic poem from the award-winning translator Robert Fagles.
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