". . . pellucid and propulsive – limpidly austere in its diction and dynamic in its narrative speed . . . Ruden, not just an esteemed classicist herself, but a poet of considerable skill, has chosen boldly. Her work is that rarity: a line-for-line rendition of Virgil’s epic in English that declares ten syllables a fit match for the Aeneid’s hexameters . . . [Ruden’s] diction is almost unfailingly chaste (as Auden described Frost’s), and the great clarity and force this lends her translation are evident everywhere . . . I cannot stress strongly enough Ruden’s skill with near-Swinburnean sound effects . . . Ruden has taken the pentameter plunge and gambled that a line-for-line account of Virgil’s Aeneid can be made . . . [She] has won her wager."—Len Krisak, Translation and Literature, Volume 18
". . . Ruden . . . a poet of considerable skill, has chosen boldly. Her work is . . . [a] rarity. . . . I cannot stress strongly enough Ruden’s skill with near-Swinburnean sound effects . . ."—Len Krisak, Translation and Literature, Volume 18
"Ruden's version earns special praise for measuring up to the challenge set by Lattimore and Fagles and then going one better in her fidelity to the actual form of the poem, without sacrificing fidelity to the word to any greater extent than they. It deserves to be widely read and admired."—Joseph Farrell, Translation and Literature
"Beautifully done. . . . Ruden's version earns special praise for measuring up to the challenge set by Lattimore and Fagles and then going one better in her fidelity to the actual form of the poem, without sacrificing fidelity to the word to any greater extent than they. It deserves to be widely read and admired."—Joseph Farrell, Translation and Literature
Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title of 2008
Selected as one of the Favorite Books of 2008 on Mr. Wilson's Bookshelf/Books & Culture
"Ruden's translation separates itself from others by using the same number of verses as Vergil does. She has produced a fresh poetic translation for contemporary English-speaking readers, one that speaks with its own voice."—David Quint, author of Cervantes's Novel of Modern Times: A New Reading of "Don Quijote"
"Sarah Ruden's translation is distinguished by the quality of its verse, the unrelenting propulsive force of its narrative drive, and the intelligence with which she has shaped Vergil to fit her pentameter lines."—Charles Martin, translator, Metamorphoses: A New Translation
"Grace and power reside in Sarah Ruden’s economical line-for-line translation of The Aeneid. Like Vergil’s Latin, her English may easily be lifted off the page and given voice."—Janet Lembke, translator of Virgil’s Georgics
"Toning down the magniloquence, Sarah Ruden gives us an Aeneid more intimate in tone and soberer in measure than we are used to—a gift for which many will be grateful."—J.M. Coetzee
"By conveying the emotional force of the Latin, Ruden makes the Aeneid newly vivid, exciting, and relevant. This translation proves why, for centuries, Virgil's remarkable epic has been required reading."—Mary Lefkowitz, author of Greek Gods, Human Lives: What We Can Learn From Myths
