Virgil: His Life and Times

by Peter Levi

Book Overview

Virgil, doubtless the most famous of Roman poets, has fired the imagination of generations. Invented, reinvented and triumphantly adopted in a vast variety of scenes, he has become, as T. S. Eliot... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312193521
• ISBN13: 9780312193522
• Release Date: December 1998
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Annuit Coeptis!

Here is a book that details the life and works Rome's greatest poet, Publius Vergilius Maro, known to contemporary readers as Virgil. The name of Virgil (or Vergil, as different spellings may have it)is taken from his clan (Vergilius), just as Caesar was known as Julius [his full name was Gaius Julius Caesar, the middle name always indicative of a Roman's clan].Peter Levi offers for us an overview of his life, but the balance of this book consists of an exegesis of his works. There is also the occasional nexus that Levi makes between passages in his works (ECLOGUES, GEORGICS and AENEID) and what was happening in Roman history during the epoch that the poet penned the works. Given that not a whole lot is really known about the details of Virgil's life, this is not altogether surprising. Nevertheless, it's still not your typical fare of what one expects when it comes to a person's biography.It becomes readily apparent while reading this work that it is geared more towards the graduate student than the layman. I thought I knew a lot about Virgil and his sundry inspirations. I was wrong. Most people are aware of the standard poets who drew Virgils' admiration, such as Homer, the Greek tragedians and Catallus. Levi proceeds to reference a host of additional, much more obscure personages who were models of Virgil's craft. For example, I had only vaguely heard of the poet Ennius prior to reading this book, and had no idea what a major factor he was in the writing of the AENEID. Thanks to Levi, I now possess a better understanding of just how pivotal Ennius was in the life of Virgil. Due to these incessant references of less-well-known artists, those who have a credible understanding of the ancient Latin literary canon will gain much more from this book than those who do not.This text is highly recommended for those who wish to learn more about one of the most remarkable, distinguished and beloved poets of all time. The book is a virtual must for those who are studying Virgil in the academic arena. I only wish I had had this book when I was attempting to decipher the ECLOGUES while I was in college. Levi's insights and explanations are priceless.