Hernando
Read the Peter Green translation.
This was my gateway to Greek mythology and has been one of my favourite books since those high school years. Read it in Spanish at the time in something called "prosa", which is not bound to any poetic structure, removing any kind of literary intention that the original wanted to achieve. Nevertheless, I did not care at all about that but was sucked into the story.
Now with this reread I kind of appreciate the way the original was composed. Still, I enjoyed it as much as the first time, and it remains a favourite of mine.
After reading multiple reviews of the most known translations, I selected this one because it had the best balance in rhythm and strict literalism.
Read the Peter Green translation.
This was my gateway to Greek mythology and has been one of my favourite books since those high school years. Read it in Spanish at the time in something called "prosa", which is not bound to any poetic structure, removing any kind of literary intention that the original wanted to achieve. Nevertheless, I did not care at all about that but was sucked into the story.
Now with this reread I kind of appreciate the way the original was composed. Still, I enjoyed it as much as the first time, and it remains a favourite of mine.
After reading multiple reviews of the most known translations, I selected this one because it had the best balance in rhythm and strict literalism.
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Answered a promptWhat are your favorite books of all time?
A book about the lives of the first emperors of Rome, plus Julius Caesar. Written by Suetonious, a historian who, at the time, had access to Emperor Hadrian's library.
It has been framed as a historical book and some other times just like a gossip account about the emperors.
Suetonius describes their most famous achievements, some disgraceful actions, and even how they look physically. Though the very first characters get more time, I guess mainly because he was not Hadrian's personal secretary anymore before finishing the book, or because there was not much interest in the later ones, or maybe it's just that they did not do much in Suetonius's eyes. For instance, Julius Caesar and Augustus will get more ink pages than Vespasian, Titus and Domitian combined.
A good accompanying material for this book is listening to the first 30–40 episodes of the podcast Emperors of Rome by La Trobe University, roughly up until episode XL or so, where they talk about Emperor Domitian. In this podcast, Rhiannon Evans talks in detail about other significant events during this period of Roman history, including commentaries on not only Suetonious work but also Livi, Tacitus, etc.
A book about the lives of the first emperors of Rome, plus Julius Caesar. Written by Suetonious, a historian who, at the time, had access to Emperor Hadrian's library.
It has been framed as a historical book and some other times just like a gossip account about the emperors.
Suetonius describes their most famous achievements, some disgraceful actions, and even how they look physically. Though the very first characters get more time, I guess mainly because he was not Hadrian's personal secretary anymore before finishing the book, or because there was not much interest in the later ones, or maybe it's just that they did not do much in Suetonius's eyes. For instance, Julius Caesar and Augustus will get more ink pages than Vespasian, Titus and Domitian combined.
A good accompanying material for this book is listening to the first 30–40 episodes of the podcast Emperors of Rome by La Trobe University, roughly up until episode XL or so, where they talk about Emperor Domitian. In this podcast, Rhiannon Evans talks in detail about other significant events during this period of Roman history, including commentaries on not only Suetonious work but also Livi, Tacitus, etc.