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Civil War (Oxford World's Classics)

by Lucan (Author), Susan H. Braund (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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Lucan's epic poem on the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, unfinished at the time of his death, stands beside the poems of Virgil and Ovid in the first rank of Latin epic. This newly annotated, free verse translation conveys the full force of Lucan's writing and his grimly realistic view of the subject. The work is a powerful condemnation of civil war, emphasizing the stark, dark horror of the catastrophies which the Roman state inflicted upon itself. Both the introduction and glossary set the scene for readers unfamiliar with Lucan and explore his relationship with earlier writers of Latin epic, and his interest in the sensational.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0199540683
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199540686
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    July 15, 2008
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    7.5 x 1.2 x 5 inches
  7. Print length
    400 pages
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

oxford world's classics, literature, novels, myths, celebrated writing
oxford world's classics, OWC, features, leading scholars, literature

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This has brief notes, but a good detailed introduction, excellent on, e.g. exemplarity ... and descriptions of death ... very good.' Greece and Rome, April 1993'B.'s able introduction and over one hundred pages of notes will make her work specially useful in courses covering post-Augustan literature or epic. B. covers a lot of ground admirably . Very welcome are B.'s pages ... on Lucan's learning ... B. shows her usual poise in describing the poem itself.' Roland Mayer, King's College, London, The Classical Review

About the Author

Susan H. Braund, Head of Department of Classics and Ancient History and University Lecturer, Exeter University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (July 15, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199540683
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199540686
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.2 x 5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

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Lucan

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
48 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Aaron
5.0 out of 5 stars Braund's Translation of the Text is Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2013
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There are not many translations of Lucan's Civil War, sometimes titled Pharsalia.Susan H Braund's translation of Lucan's Civil War is a great translation. Lucan's Civil War is a work from the time of Nero and is incomplete due to the authors death. Nonetheless it is a great epic that is quite different from the others. It takes on a grotesque tone with descriptions of battles and descriptions of ghosts and witches. It takes place during the Civil War that saw Caesar rise to power and does not hide who Lucan supports. Some of the poetic use is lost in this translation due to its translation to Latin but it makes up for this with its explicit character. Braund captures the heterodox Stoicism that underlies the text and makes it appear not just in the overarching story but in the characters as they relate to each other. Passive Aggressive tones are captured just as well as the sense of foreboding and pessimism the text expresses.
10 people found this helpful
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Justin F
5.0 out of 5 stars Lucan's Bellum Civile
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2015
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Great book - a must read for any budding classicist
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2017
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Love it.
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Theodore J. Freeman
5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated Historical Epic
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2007
An underrated work of the Silver Age. There are some excellent epsiodes that could stand on their own as mini-epics: the suicides of Vulteius and comrades, Appius 'rape' of the Pythia, Caesar's journey by sea, Scaeva's aristeia, Erictho's necromancy, and Cato's journey through Africa to name just a few. The historical insights into the lives of Caesar, Pompey, and Cato are also especially enlightening. Absolutely worth a first and second look!
13 people found this helpful
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Ryan Mease
3.0 out of 5 stars Review of Braund's Lucan
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2012
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Braund is painfully literal, which may her translation great as an aid to my reading of the Latin text, but made the translation itself a bit unexciting. The trouble with Lucan, in my view, is that so many of his richest moments are also incredibly subtle. There's also no way to deny that it's difficult--very difficult--to render the geographical/astronomical/sophistic passages interesting to modern English readers.

Braund had a great set of notes at the end, too. (I wish these were footnotes, but beggars can't be choosers. There aren't many editions of English Lucan in print.)
6 people found this helpful
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Johannes Platonicus
4.0 out of 5 stars "Gore, War, and Monumental Verse"
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2002
Lucan, the author of the full-throated but incomplete epic the "Civil War", certainly deserves a spot next to the great Latin poets Ovid, Horace, and Virgil, whose epic works mark the pinnacle eloquence and intelligence of Latin verse. The epic was written during the reign of Nero in the first century AD, and it is characterized by its vehement condemnation of civil war and imperialistic sentiments--this possibly caused Lucan's later fall out of Nero's favor. The primary characters in the epic are Julius Caesar, who is portrayed as a destructive warmonger, and Pompey (Magnus), who is described as ambitious and over his prime. The vivid descriptions of the wars in this work are exciting and at the same time sobering since Lucan's narrative never fails to reveal those attributes of civil war which invoke the most disturbing of feelings. For all this, Lucan's "Civil War" is recommended, and also because the Oxford World Classics always present reliable translations, and this particular edition retains Lucan's charming and long-winded verse that courses so smoothly through the hearts and minds reader's who are fortunate enough to come into contact with it.
30 people found this helpful
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SDS
1.0 out of 5 stars the translation may be great but . . .
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021
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what's the use when the print is so tiny that a reader will go blind after a couple of pages?
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Fardarter
1.0 out of 5 stars This translation would be great if it had a facing Latin text
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2015
This translation would be great if it had a facing Latin text. So many times, the translation tips the balance toward simplifying the Latin and making it sound banal. I frankly prefer the translation in the Penguin series because it is by far more readable. As for the notes offered by Braund, nothing too difficult to find out by using a smart phone. Overall, save your $ and rely on Perseus online.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

W. Buchanan
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect balance of art, fidelity, and utility.
Reviewed in Canada on May 17, 2016
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Susanna Braund's translation is a work of marvelous balance. While Widdows's is impressive for maintaining the Latin hexameter in English, Braund's achieves the best of all worlds: metrical regularity (with some variation), artful translation, and a very faithful rendering that preserves the Latin almost line-for-line---a great boon both to Latin students and to the Latinless who want to stay as close as possible to Lucan without the awkwardness of a verbatim translation. Some of her lines are strikingly beautiful:--- "...so when winter checks / the birds, the fields are hushed, and so mid-sea is mute / unmurmurring" (1.259–61). Few have conveyed the sense of silence more with more arresting clarity.

The introductory material is suitable for the layman, and adequate even for a student of the Classics. Like the translation itself, a work of perfect balance.
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Thetis of the Silver Feet
5.0 out of 5 stars Lucan's Civil War
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2014
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Lucan is not easy to read but there is an excellent Introduction by the famous Roman scholar Susanne Braund which helps to clarify some parts of the poem.
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2018
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Very satisffied!
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Kyuri Choi
5.0 out of 5 stars New as it is as was decribed from the description ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2015
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New as it is as was decribed from the description of the item!
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Joanne Nicholson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2016
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An excellent translation of an old favourite
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