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luis_conte's review
3.5
3.5 Stars
Martial's epigrams are humorous, entertaining, and uncensored. This edition includes a well-written and informative introduction from the translator which serves to contextualize the vulgarity and seemingly (traditionally), "unpoetic" nature of Martial's poetry.
Martial writes with a wit and charm that endears the reader and allows for them to easily find gems within his selection of poetry. I must say there were several times Martial made me smirk and on few occasions he charmed a laugh out of me, this was particularly impressive considering both the age and context of this poetry.
I would not recommend reading this book in one sitting, nor over a few days, I found that when doing this the poems (due to their closeness on the page), gel in with one and other thus losing the beauty of the individuality of each one. Instead, I would recommend taking your time and perhaps reading this alongside another book you can churn through whilst perhaps impressing some guests or indeed having a private laugh with a few Epigrams at a time. This will preserve the short nature of each poem and maintain their individual completeness.
It must be noted, although this edition comes with a comprehensive set of notes in the back explaining several key elements within the poetry I must say in order to fully enjoy these Epigrams one should have a higher than a basic understanding of Greek-Roman society and customs. Although through the notes one may be able to just get by, I still think having some degree of prior knowledge enriches the reading experience profoundly and thus would recommend doing some background reading first.
I would definitely recommend these Epigrams to any classicist or perhaps individuals who like uncouth writing. This is definitely the book to bring to your classics professors and ask them why you are not studying this? (Ironically this question is covered in the comprehensive introduction).
Martial's epigrams are humorous, entertaining, and uncensored. This edition includes a well-written and informative introduction from the translator which serves to contextualize the vulgarity and seemingly (traditionally), "unpoetic" nature of Martial's poetry.
Martial writes with a wit and charm that endears the reader and allows for them to easily find gems within his selection of poetry. I must say there were several times Martial made me smirk and on few occasions he charmed a laugh out of me, this was particularly impressive considering both the age and context of this poetry.
I would not recommend reading this book in one sitting, nor over a few days, I found that when doing this the poems (due to their closeness on the page), gel in with one and other thus losing the beauty of the individuality of each one. Instead, I would recommend taking your time and perhaps reading this alongside another book you can churn through whilst perhaps impressing some guests or indeed having a private laugh with a few Epigrams at a time. This will preserve the short nature of each poem and maintain their individual completeness.
It must be noted, although this edition comes with a comprehensive set of notes in the back explaining several key elements within the poetry I must say in order to fully enjoy these Epigrams one should have a higher than a basic understanding of Greek-Roman society and customs. Although through the notes one may be able to just get by, I still think having some degree of prior knowledge enriches the reading experience profoundly and thus would recommend doing some background reading first.
I would definitely recommend these Epigrams to any classicist or perhaps individuals who like uncouth writing. This is definitely the book to bring to your classics professors and ask them why you are not studying this? (Ironically this question is covered in the comprehensive introduction).
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