Classical epic is not readily accessible to the modern reader, even in translation, but Green's verse translation of The Argonautika is as effective an attempt as any I have seen. (It is certainly more inspiring than E.V. Rieu's prose translation in the Penguin Classics.) This paperback edition lacks the full commentary present in the hardcover edition, but Green's introduction provides the essential background to the work, describing what is known about Apollonios' life (and his relationship with Kallimachos) and setting it in the context of Hellenistic literature and the earlier literature and mythology on which it draws. This is coupled with nine pages of maps and an extensive glossary. (At sixty five pages, the latter approaches the proportions of a dictionary of mythology!) The result is ideal for the newcomer to Greek literature and mythology and should make it much more practical to use the Argonautika as a text in general literature courses.

December 1997

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Related reviews:

- books about Greece + Greek history
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- books published by University of California Press