Showing posts with label classical texts in translation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classical texts in translation. Show all posts

45% Off Discounts: Special Prices for The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics) Review

The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics)

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The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics) Review

As a fan of Narayan's work, I was fascinated to see how he would tackle the grand subject of the Ramayana, a work that runs through and certainly influences all of Narayan's stories. The result is one of his most delightful and beautifully written novels. I think it is important to approach this book not as "THE" Ramayana, but one storyteller's unique vision of the timeless epic--even as a variation on one of his Malgudi novels (the characters certainly bare a distinct resemblance). Narayan's writing is extremely sensitive, refined, yet full of humor and charm. Throughout he adopts the tone of a storyteller, openly acknowledging that he is only "retelling" a story by a much greater storyteller, and leaving out the juciest parts at that. His little asides where he explains, "And here the poet described the scene so touchingly..." are at once reverent and amusing, as Narayan wisely omits anything too excessive or poetic that might derail his narrative. But the story itself is wonderful, a colorful, full-blooded telling of the Ramayana, sparse, fast-moving, but with all the hallmarks of Narayan's style. This book is a must for any fan of Narayan's fiction, Indian writing, or mythology. Narayan effectively conveys the epic's timelessness, with characters and situations that echo throughout literature and film, full of profound human emotions. And this is always one of Narayan's chief strengths, to create believable, complex human characters. In his treatment, even Rama and Sita emerge as sympathetic individuals, not the cardboard cut-outs all too common given their extraordinary powers. In short, this is a magical and engaging work that I know I will read again and again in the years to come. I invite you to do the same!

The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (Penguin Classics) Overview

A sweeping tale of abduction, battle, and courtship played out in a universe of deities and demons, The Ramayana is familiar to virtually every Indian. Although the Sanskrit original was composed by Valmiki around the fourth century BC, poets have produced countless versions in different languages. Here, drawing on the work of an eleventh-century poet called Kamban, Narayan employs the skills of a master novelist to re-create the excitement he found in the original. A luminous saga made accessible to new generations of readers, The Ramayana can be enjoyed for its spiritual wisdom, or as a thrilling tale of ancient conflict.

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15% Off Discounts: Best Buy for Plato: Republic Review

Plato: Republic

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Plato: Republic Review

Plato's Republic is unparalleled in its coverage of all areas of life. While Plato addresses metaphysical issues, he does so with language and analogies that most people can grasp with studious reading. But Plato talks about much more than metaphysics. Marriage, music, war, kings, procreation and more are all topics of discussion for Plato's dialog. In addition to the teachings about life, this book also offers a great introduction to philosophy. The famous "cave story" illustrates not only the purpose of philosophy, but also the inherent difficulties. While this book is absolutely necessary for students of philosophy and religion, I think there are golden truths for all people no matter what they do.
So, why this particular translation of the work? This translation offers the best ease in reading while mainting a tight grasp of the original Greek meanings of Plato's text. Besides, it isn't that expensive.
This book is clearly a timeless classic, and if you can't read classical Greek, this translation is probably the best you will get.

Plato: Republic Overview

Since its publication in 1974, scholars throughout the humanities have adopted G M A Grube's masterful translation of the Republic as the edition of choice for their study and teaching of Plato's most influential work. In this brilliant revision, C D C Reeve furthers Grube's success both in preserving the subtlety of Plato's philosophical argument and in rendering the dialogue in lively, fluent English, that remains faithful to the original Greek. This revision includes a new introduction, index, and bibliography by Reeve.

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32% Off Discounts: Lowest Price The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus Review

The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus

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The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus Review

Researching translations is never an easy task, and in this case, where you'll have to search on Amazon for the title and the translator to find what you want, it's particularly difficult.
Here's what I've found by comparing several editions:
1. David Grene translation: Seems to be accurate, yet not unwieldy as such. My pick. Language is used precisely, but not to the point where it's barely in English.
2. Fitts/Fitzgerald translation: Excellent as well, though a little less smooth than the Grene one. Certainly not a bad pick.
3. Fagles translation: Beautiful. Not accurate. If you are looking for the smoothest English version, there's no doubt that this is it. That said, because he is looser with the translation, some ideas might be lost. For instance, in Antigone, in the beginning, Antigone discusses how law compels her to bury her brother despite Creon's edict. In Fagles, the "law" concept is lost in "military honors" when discussing the burial of Eteocles. This whole notion of obeying positive law or natural law is very important, but you wouldn't know it from Fagles. In Grene, for example, it is translated to "lawful rites."
4. Gibbons and Segal: Looks great, but right now the book has only Antigone (and not the rest of the trilogy) and costs almost 3x as much. I'll pass. But, from a cursory review, I'm impressed with their work.
5. MacDonald: This edition received some good write-ups, but I wasn't able to do a direct passage-to-passage comparison.
6. Woodruff: NO, NO, NO. Just NO. It's so colloquial it makes me gag. Very accessible, but the modernization of the language is just so extreme as to make it almost laughable. You don't get any sense of the power of language in the play. You just get the story. If you want this to be an easy read, then get Fagles, not this.
7. Kitto: Looks good, though not particularly compelling over either Grene or Fitzgerald (or Gibbons if I wanted to pay so much more).
8. Roche: Practically unreadable the English is so convoluted. Might be the most literal translation, but what's the point unless you are learning Greek and want such a direct translation.
9. Taylor: Way too wordy. Might be more literal, but again, why?
Hope this all helps. Translations can make or break the accessibility of literature. Pick wisely.

The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus Overview



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48% Off Discounts: Special Prices for The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Penguin Classics) Review

The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Penguin Classics)

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The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Penguin Classics) Review

I ordered the hardcover edition of this book from ... , and it is unfortunate that it is not readily available in the US. At least the softcover edition is now available, and worth acquiring for anyone interested in a glimpse of what life-and thought-was like nearly 4000 years ago. I was unaware, before reading this volume, that Gilgamesh, despite it's significance and popularity in its day, does not come down to us in any complete form. George provides both a background of the civilization that produced Gilgamesh and also a history of the various partial versions that have survived and been found. Throughout the text he is careful to explain where different versions disagree, where he has interpolated fragments from other versions to fill gaps, and where no known version exists. He appends translations of various fragments and of earlier Sumerian poems of "Bilgames". While lacking the completeness, and therefore coherence, of the Homeric epics, George's translation of Gilgamesh offers at least a peephole, if not truly a window, into a civilization very far removed from ours. Despite the distance the desires and fears-particularly the fear of death-expressed seem very human and recognizable. In fact, and in spite of, the archaic structure of the verse, Gilgamesh seems more human to me than many of the semi-divine heros of Homer. Certainly not light reading, but very much worth the time and effort.

The Epic of Gilgamesh: An English Verison with an Introduction (Penguin Classics) Overview



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Special Prices for The Bhagavad-Gita : Krishna's Counsel in Time of War (Bantam Classics) Review

The Bhagavad-Gita : Krishna's Counsel in Time of War (Bantam Classics)

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The Bhagavad-Gita : Krishna's Counsel in Time of War (Bantam Classics) Review

'Bhagavad-Gita' which means `Celestial Song' or `Song of theLord' is an immensely popular sacred text in India.....
What makes 'Bhagavad-Gita' so popular? To begin with, its lines are steeped in extraordinary lyrical grace. The eight syllable or occasionally eleven syllable quarters exude a rare poetic energy.
Secondly, the text centres around two very popular characters from Indian religion and mythology: Krishna and Arjuna.
Thirdly, the context , that is the great war scene of 'Mahabharata' adds to the drama of the narrative.
Apart from all these, the most endearing quality of 'Gita' lies in the practicality of its teachings for all times. The great war is about to begin, but the hero Arjuna is beset with self-doubt, hesitation and remorse. Krishna, his charioteer, engages him in a long dialogue, which forms the main body of the narrative. Krishna's counsel not only dispels Arjuna's fears and doubts, it also provides solution to the eternal struggle between the spiritual and material in every human being. It answers all existential questions of man. Each man is facing a battle of Mahabharata within himself in his everyday life. To live, man has to fight, for life is a battle in which forces of good and evil are at constant war.
Krishna's advice for man is to be deeply interested in his action and moral duty, yet to remain inwardly unattached, because man's real enemy is desire due to attachment. This enemy can be overcome by arming oneself with discipline and acting in a manner so as to cross the narrow limits of desire. Man must perform his duty disinterestedly, without selfish desire and without losing sight of ultimate spiritual reality. This al reality is surrender to Krishna himself. Krishna says,
`Relinquishing all sacred duties to me, make me your only refuge; do not grieve, for I shall free you from all evils.' (XVIII, 66)
'Bhagavad-Gita' is much more than my summary -- it is in fact the essence of Hinduism. 'Gita' touches upon all the basic concepts of Hindu religion such as duty (dharma), discipline (yoga), action (karma), knowledge (jnana) and devotion (bhakti).
Barabara Stoler Miller's translation of 'The Bhagavad-Gita' faithfully retains the charm, lyricality and essence of the original. For the Western reader, the `Introduction' and the `Afterword' titled `Why Did Henry David Thoreau Take 'The Bhagavat Gita' to Walden Pond,' comes as a great help for understanding the poem itself and realising the guiding principles of Hinduism. The section on keywords is in fact an extension of the lucid commentary given in the beginning.
I recommend this translated version not only to the new readers of 'Gita', but also to those, who, bogged down by the numerous explanations of the scripture, seek a fresh look at it.

The Bhagavad-Gita : Krishna's Counsel in Time of War (Bantam Classics) Overview



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