Virgil. The Aeneid. Translated by Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Everyman’s Library, 1992.
Reason read: Great Britain celebrates poetry in the month of October. Virgil’s birth month is in October as well.
This is another one of those stories that has been reviewed a thousand and one, maybe two, times in this year alone. What could I possibly add that hasn’t already been said? Nothing! But, here are my observations: The Aeneid is a true adventure – a look towards the future and the promises made. There are twelve books in the epic poem. The first six cover Aeneas and his wanderings after surviving the Trojan war. The second half of the poem are the Trojan War.
And having said that, Aeneas reminds me of Dorothy Dunnett’s character, Francis, from the Lymond series. He is that deeply flawed hero that everyone loves. Much like how Gregory Maguire chose to tell the story of the wicked witch of the west, Virgil tells the other side of the Trojan War story. Instead of following Odysseus, we focus on Aeneas, the defeated Trojan.
All the usual suspects are there: Neptune, Venus, Achilles, Cupid, Pygmalion, Juno, Dido…
Quote I liked, “I sing of warfare and a man at war” (p 4 – the opening line). What promise that line brings!
Author fact: The Aeneid was the last thing Virgil was working on before his death.
Book trivia: The first edit of The Aeneid happens on the anniversary of my father’s passing, September 21st.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “Poetry: a Novel Idea” (p 186).