Argonautica Apollonius of Rhodes

“Anyone who’s ever been fascinated by The Magnificent Seven or a Marvel Comics movie that brings together a team of great epic heroes for a noble cause will understand the archetype and the paradigm that animates Apollonius’s version of the ancient myth of the Argo, in which an assemblage of highly charismatic pre-Trojan War heroes embarks on a daunting adventure. This new edition of the epic can play an invaluable role in any number of classes that involve ancient literature or that focus on heroic quests in literature of any period. Readers will be able to understand not only the story itself, but also the culture that produced it, and, further, the complicated and sometimes inconsistent values of heroism and nobility, which are both celebrated and challenged in Apollonius’s great poem. “Lombardo and Polsley render the Argonautica in a poetic form (with helpful narrative rubrics and extended similes set off in italics) that allows the story to unfold powerfully but in a measured way, as only verse can. This allows the reader to pay attention to patterns of imagery and the fine crafting of character, personality, dialogue, and diction that somehow are blurred in prose translations that focus on exposition, information, and episode. The translation is ever clear, animated, direct, and dramatic, preserving the interested voice of Apollonius (one of the most self-consciously artful narrators in the epic canon), the not entirely disarming charms of Jason, and the ever-charismatic power of the bewitching Medea. It’s hard to imagine a more accessible and relatable rendering of the story or one so well-paced and exciting. “Students will benefit from an excellent apparatus that includes Maps, a detailed Glossary, and a helpful Appendix with selections from Euripides, plus a masterful Introduction by Tara Welch that is also a first-rate literary essay on the poem’s major themes. Among these, her ruminations on Jason’s dubious leadership and wavering stature highlight the unique appeal and brilliance of this great adventure story.”