A New Sublime: Ten Timeless Lessons on the Classics

by Piero Boitani, Ann Goldstein (Translator)

"[It] will move you across the globe and back in time." - Library Journal
Europa Compass series – new format and covers
For the readers of Mary Beard and Bethany Hughes
(Re)discover the timeless beauty of ancient literature
The classics "never exhaust what they have to say". Informed by this belief, linguistic expert Piero Boitani invites the reader to explore the wisdom of the works of literature underpinning Western culture, and highlights their profound and sometimes surprising connection to the present.
The themes explored in this book are as wide-ranging as they are enduringly relevant. They include the Iliad 's depiction of power and war, as well as its invocation of compassion as one of the necessary foundations of society; the Odyssey as the world's first novel; Lucretius and the way he transformed Greek scientific thought into sublime poetry; Virgil's celebration of the history of Rome, from small village to world capital, as well as Tacitus' denunciation of the imperialistic nature of Roman power; and Ovid's Metamorphoses —a poem about incessant change the first postmodern classic.

Genres: History, Philosophy, Nonfiction

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2020

About the author

Piero Boitani (Roma, 1947) è un filologo, critico letterario e traduttore italiano.
Dantista e anglista, ha dedicato numerosi studi ai miti classici e alla Bibbia. È direttore letterario della Fondazione Lorenzo Valla.

Reviews

[Olga Vannucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

They have the feelings that we do today.
They describe nature their own special way.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this from the Phoenix public library - a great little book, an overview of the sublime power of the Classics. The essays are roughly chronological, starting with Homer (one chapter on the Iliad, another on the Odyssey), Hesiod, etc. Later chapters get on to books about Rome (like Polybius) and then Latin Classics (the Aeneid and Metamorphoses feature prominently; there is a good argument to be made for Ovid's Metamorphoses being the apotheosis of the Classical tradition that began with Homer, I suppose). Really good read if you're into Classics . . .

[Anne Goodwin]

No fault of the book, but I needed a simpler version!
https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post...

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been so much more. It’s just a little long winded and in places quite dull.

The Classics themselves however are as relevant today as when they were written.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. This book clearly outlines the beauty of the ancient world's most influential texts in wonderful prose. The book itself is sublime.