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Vergil: The Poet's Life (Ancient Lives) Hardcover – August 22, 2023

by Sarah Ruden (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
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A biography of Vergil, Rome’s greatest poet, by the acclaimed translator of the Aeneid
 
“Ms. Ruden has converted the writer of the Aeneid from a noble and stodgy ‘ancient’ into our contemporary . . . persuasively re-imagined [as] a sympathetic, three-dimensional figure. . . . The existence of the Aeneid is cause for gratitude. So is Ms. Ruden’s sensitive, celebratory portrait of its maker.”—Willard Spiegelman, Wall Street Journal
 
The Aeneid stands as a towering work of Classical Roman literature and a gripping dramatization of the best and worst of human nature. In the process of creating this epic poem, Vergil (70–19 BCE) became the world’s first media celebrity, a living legend.
 
But the real Vergil is a shadowy figure; we know that he was born into a modest rural family, that he led a private and solitary life, and that, in spite of poor health and unusual emotional vulnerabilities, he worked tirelessly to achieve exquisite new effects in verse. Vergil’s most famous work, the Aeneid, was commissioned by the emperor Augustus, who published the epic despite Vergil’s dying wish that it be destroyed.
 
Sarah Ruden, widely praised for her translation of the Aeneid, uses evidence from Roman life and history alongside Vergil’s own writings to make careful deductions to reconstruct his life. Through her intimate knowledge of Vergil’s work, she brings to life a poet who was committed to creating something astonishingly new and memorable, even at great personal cost.
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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Ancient Lives
  2. Print length
    200 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Yale University Press
  5. Publication date
    August 22, 2023
  6. Dimensions
    5.75 x 1 x 8.75 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0300256612
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0300256611
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

From Sarah Ruden, acclaimed translator of The Aenid. Vergi: The Poet's Life
Quote: A detailed biography of Vergil should be impossible; but Sarah Ruden displays such subtlety,
The Ancient lives series unfolds the stories of thinkers, writers, kings, queens, conquerors, and po
The ANCIENT LIVES series

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Ms. Ruden has converted the writer of the Aeneid from a noble and stodgy ‘ancient’ into our contemporary . . . persuasively re-imagined [as] a sympathetic, three-dimensional figure. . . . The existence of the Aeneid is cause for gratitude. So is Ms. Ruden’s sensitive, celebratory portrait of its maker.”—Willard Spiegelman, Wall Street Journal

“Ruden is a considerable scholar who conveys the brilliance of the Aeneid concisely.”—Harry Mount, The Spectator

“It is hard to imagine Sarah Ruden’s wise, insightful, and engaging Vergil: The Poet’s Life being bettered.”—Max Carter, Air Mail

“A detailed biography of Vergil should be impossible; but Sarah Ruden displays such subtlety, such imagination, such love for her subject, as to render the impossible possible.”—Tom Holland, author of Dominion

“An enlightening and thoroughly modern introduction to Rome’s premier poet. This book should be required reading for every student and reader of Vergil’s immortal verse.”—Daisy Dunn, author of The Shadow of Vesuvius: A Life of Pliny

“In this engaging account, Sarah Ruden brings Vergil back as a living, breathing person, navigating issues of politics, sexuality, class, and culture that we still confront today.”—Randall Ganiban, Middlebury College

About the Author

Sarah Ruden is an award-winning classics scholar, a poet, and a widely published writer on religion and culture. Her many translations of Greek and Roman works include Vergil’s Aeneid. 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (August 22, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300256612
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300256611
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 9 ratings

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Sarah Ruden

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Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
9 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mark F. Isham
5.0 out of 5 stars The Perils of being the Emperor's Poet
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024
Verified Purchase
We know little of Vergil's life but Sarah Ruden does a good job of putting those details in the context of a poet's life in the Augustine Age. She makes a case for Vergil's careful strategies for keeping his independence but Emperor Augustus could smother with his attention. Ruden even suggests that Vergil, in the end, became another of Augustus' victims.
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Christoff von Bingham
5.0 out of 5 stars Sarah Ruden is beloved by the Muses.
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
Sarah Ruden is one of my favorite translators - her Aeneid is a marvel. This short, punchy book is a delight to read! A great treat for people who love classical literature.
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Kristin
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2023
The author starts with Vergil's words and those of Suetonius, among others, considers various ways to interpret these; never goes too far, thoughtful but cautious with her conclusions. The book is also a good (re)introduction to the world of Augustus and to the Eclogues, Georgics and The Aeneid, for those who haven't read them or have forgotten much of what they did read.
7 people found this helpful
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