Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

Literary Criticism Ancient & Classical

Lucan's Civil War

by (author) P.F. Widdows

Publisher
Indiana University Press
Initial publish date
Sep 1988
Category
Ancient & Classical
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780253313997
    Publish Date
    Sep 1988
    List Price
    $46.00

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

" . . . eminently readable, supple, and coherent . . . essential . . . " —Choice

" . . . translated into English verse with great force and precision . . . " —History

"There is . . . a very real need for a new poetic version, and Mr. Widdows has carried out the difficult task most creditably. . . . his translation is both accurate and readable, and in our age, so much kinder to baroque art than the ages that preceded it, he should have many readers." —New York Review of Books

"On all counts this translation of the Pharsalia is a resounding success and will, one predicts, stand as the definitive English version. Readers . . . will welcome this verse edition by Widdows with its readability, accuracy, and, above all, its poetic sensibility. . . . Widdows' translation deserves acclaim, and both classicist and student of epic poetry in general will want this edition on their bookshelves . . . " —Classical World

Told in a series of gripping, dramatic episodes, Widdows' powerful verse translation of Lucan's unfinished epic of the Roman civil war starts with the crossing of the Rubicon and ends with Caesar narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Egyptian army.

About the author

P.F. Widdows was a translator of French and Latin poets into English.

P.F. Widdows' profile page