A New Sublime: Ten Timeless Lessons on the Classics

by Piero Boitani, Ann Goldstein (Translation)

In a book “as bewitching and entertaining as a novel” a renowned Italian literary critic “uncovers the unexpected, extraordinary modernity of the classics” (Piero Dorfles). In A New Sublime, literary critic Piero Boitani reveals the timeless beauty and wisdom of ancient literature, highlighting its profound and surprising connections to the present. Ranging from Homer to Tacitus, with Thucydides, Aristotle, Sophocles, Cicero, and many others in between, Boitani’s fresh and inspiring insights remind us of the enduring importance and beauty of the classics of the Western canon. Boitani explores what the classics have to say about the mutability and fluidity of identity and matter, the power and position of women in society. He also looks closely at their depictions of force and subjugation, fate and free will, the ethical life, hospitality, love, compassion, and mysticism. Through it all, he shows how the classics can play active roles in our contemporary lives.

Genres: History, Philosophy, Nonfiction

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 23, 2021

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.