Latin Literature: An Anthology

by Michael Grant (Compiler), Various

Translations by Sidney, Pope, Dr. Johnson, and Graves are included in a collection of Latin prose and poetry by such Romans as Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Livy, and Virgil

Genres: Classics, Roman, Anthologies, Classical Studies, Fiction, Philosophy, Literature

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Michael Grant was an English classisist, numismatist, and author of numerous popular books on ancient history. His 1956 translation of Tacitus’s Annals of Imperial Rome remains a standard of the work. He once described himself as "one of the very few freelances in the field of ancient history: a rare phenomenon". As a popularizer, his hallmarks were his prolific output and his unwillingness to oversimplify or talk down to his readership.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Roz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compact compilation of the Roman Republic and Empire's heavy hitters, Penguin's anthology Latin Literature is the kind of thing that really should still be in print. It covers almost the entirety of classical Rome's literary age: ranging from Plautus (200 BC) to Apuleius (c. 150 AD), plus a couple later selections by Tertullian and St. Augustine (400 AD). In between, it has substantial contributions from all the authors you've heard of: the verse of Ovid, Virgil and Horace; the plays of Seneca and Terrance; prose works by Caesar, Tacitus, Suetonius and Cicero.
The difference between this and most other anthologies (and especially the Norton ones which dominate the field), comes in the presentation: editor Michael Grant took an interesting approach, with each author represented in a variety of translations, from archaic (Arthur Golding's 16th century translation of Ovid, up through pioneering translations by Dryden, Dr. Johnson and Alexander Pope to late 20th century attempts by Robert Graves, Mary M Innes and EV Rieu.
Together, these provide a through look at Rome's literary legacy: not only how the literature of Rome evolved through the ages, but also how influential it's been through the centuries: different eras bring different translations, with different interpretations of the same themes. There are several pieces repeated here between different eras and seeing how the art of their translation has changed helps put the translator's task in context. As Grant writes in his introduction, two translations are four times as good as one. One example of many: does Ovid, a poet, translate better when forced into verse? Or is a more literal translation, albiet in prose, a better way to read him? Here Grant picks from both, allowing readers to decide for themselves.
There are a couple of things I didn't like here. A few of the Roman heavyweights - Plutarch, Polybius - are omitted for writing in Greek and others are skipped for not having translations Grant felt worthy of inclusion. Still, these are minor reservations.
All in all, this is a concise, entertaining and great introduction to the classics: it doesn't only show how good the original works are, but helps you establish what you're looking for in a translation.

[George Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very rarely review a book, but this is an excellent snapshot of Roman literature, poetry, and philosophy throughout several eras of the republic and empire. A fantastic seed book to stem more reading from.

[Takipsilim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Romans were not just about conquest, they could write too!

[Michael]

A treasure