The Satyricon
Petronius author J P Sullivan translator Helen Morales editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Published:6th Oct '11
£10.99
Available to order, but very limited on stock - if we have issues obtaining a copy, we will let you know.
The Satyricon is one of the most outrageous and strikingly modern works to have survived from the ancient world. Most likely written by an advisor of Nero, it recounts the adventures of Encolpius and his companions as they travel around Italy, encountering courtesans, priestesses, con men, brothel-keepers, pompous professors and, above all, Trimalchio, the nouveau riche millionaire whose debauched feasting and pretentious vulgarity make him one of the great comic characters in literature. Estimated to date from 63 - 65 AD, and only surviving in fragments, The Satyricon nevertheless offers an unmatched satirical portrait of the age of Nero, in all its excesses and chaos.
"This version by a translator who understands the high art of low humor is conspicuously funny."
Time
"William Arrowsmith's translation of The Satyricon meets the two fundamental requirements of the translator's art: perfect fidelity to the original and a vitality of style that tempts the reader to believe that the English version is not a translation.
A classic of literature."
Allen Tate
"Arrowsmith's brilliant translation
at one stroke renders every other version obsolete."
London Times Literary Supplement
ISBN: 9780140448054
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 14mm
Weight: 179g
240 pages