Bernard Knox, New York Review of Books
Martin's complete text is clearly something to look forward to with high expectations.
Metamorphoses: A New Translation by Charles Martin FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ovid's epic poem -- whose theme of change has resonated throughout the ages -- has become one of the most important texts of Western imagination, an inspiration from Dante's time to the present day, when writers such as Salman Rushdie and Italo Calvino have found a living source in Ovid's work. In this new, eagerly awaited translation of the Metamorphoses, Charles Martin combines a close fidelity to Ovid's text with verse that catches the speed and liveliness of the original. Portions of this translation have already appeared in Arion, The Formalist, The Tennessee Quarterly, and TriQuarterly. Hailed in Newsweek for his translation of The Poems of Catullus -- "Charles Martin is an American poet; he puts the poetry, the immediacy of the streets back into the English Catullus. The effect is electric" -- Martin's translation of the Metamorphoses will be the translation of choice for contemporary readers in English. This translation of the Metamorphoses is accompanied by Bernard Knox's introduction, endnotes, and a glossary of people, places, and personifications.
SYNOPSIS
The classic verse collection of Greek and Roman myths, compiled by the urbane Roman poet Ovid about the turn of the era, is rendered into easily read modern English free verse by poet and translator Martin. He includes notes on nuances of his translation and on historical and literary allusions. A list identifying people and places and referring to their mention in the text suffices for an index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
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