Relihan's edition of the Consolation offers both student and scholar a felicitous text, expertly translated from the original Latin, richly supplemented throughout with a critical apparatus, and generously embellished with explanatory notes for each prose and metric portion; he offers an Introduction of clear-sighted analysis, and an inclusive, text-referential glossary. Relihan's translation should now be the standard text for classroom use. . . . Relihan has performed a great service in his translation by attempting to translate the 'meters' with the sensibility of a poet as well as a Latinist, and it has made his version of Consolation that much more committed, it seems, to the intent of the original, and definitely a more compelling read. Relihan, as he himself states, has done '. . . what has not been done before in the long history of translation of Consolation into English, . . . [to] reproduce through English accents the rhythms and meters of the original poems' (xxviii). . . . The poetic sections of Consolation are not mere interludes but deliberate transitions in tenor and signification. By offering an English text that echoes the Latin in form, Relihan is offering the student of Consolation an English text that echoes the Latin in meaning as well. It is an offer neither scholar nor student should refuse. --June-Ann Greeley, New England Classical Journal
This book offers a splendid new translation of the Consolatio Philosophiae that makes the philosophy of the text accessible to both the beginning student and to the Latin scholar. Any student interested in the transition in late antiquity from the pagan to the Christian worlds should own this volume. --Victoria Jordan, The Classical Outlook
Slavitt, a poet and translator of over 80 works of fiction, poetry, and drama, presents a new translation of this philosophical classic directed at general readers. Written under the threat of Boethius's impending execution, the work comes on the cusp between the classical and medieval worlds. In alternating prose and verse, Boethius spins a dialog concerning the harsh vicissitudes of fortune and the lasting happiness provided by the life of the mind. Slavitt's prose translation is accessible and makes frequent use of colloquialisms. His poetic translations-too often paraphrased in earlier editions-are not weighed down with attempted fidelities to ancient meter and use contemporary forms to evoke the gravity and grace of the original. While the book does include a brief biographical and textual introduction by Seth Lerer (English & comparative literature, Stanford Univ.), its lack of textual apparatus makes this edition less than ideal for students. It does succeed, however, as a springboard for personal reflection and a source of literate pleasure. Recommended for large public and academic libraries.-Steven Chabot, Univ. of Toronto
A remarkable translation of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature.
This is a beautifully made little book that I have taken with me on a number of trips, partly just for the pleasure of holding it. At any time I would be glad to have it.
Books and Culture - John Wilson
It's a remarkable book (though a short one), and its latest edition, rendered into fluid, compellingly immediate English by veteran translator David R. Slavitt, is very markedly the best one it's ever had...Slavitt presents the reader with Boethius brought to vibrant, vigorous life, to a degree that makes all previous English versions seem pedantic and irrelevant. Harvard University Press has crafted a physically beautiful volume, sturdy and small enough to fit in your pocketan extremely fitting format for a book that's meant to be a comfort against life's ills. Reading this edition, even readers who've never encountered Boethius before will see at once why his book has meant so much to so many people for the last 1,500 years.
openlettersmonthly.com - Steve Donoghue
This is a sensitive and readable translation, whose poetic merits place it beyond other translations of Boethius's great text.
This is a beautifully made little book that I have taken with me on a number of trips, partly just for the pleasure of holding it. At any time I would be glad to have it. John Wilson
It's a remarkable book (though a short one), and its latest edition, rendered into fluid, compellingly immediate English by veteran translator David R. Slavitt, is very markedly the best one it's ever had...Slavitt presents the reader with Boethius brought to vibrant, vigorous life, to a degree that makes all previous English versions seem pedantic and irrelevant. Harvard University Press has crafted a physically beautiful volume, sturdy and small enough to fit in your pocketan extremely fitting format for a book that's meant to be a comfort against life's ills. Reading this edition, even readers who've never encountered Boethius before will see at once why his book has meant so much to so many people for the last 1,500 years. Steve Donoghue
This audiobook was written by the Roman philosopher Boethius while he was awaiting sentencing and execution. One of the last great blooms of classical Greek Stoicism, it is a dialogue between the author and Philosophy, who appears as a woman who leads him to a proper Stoic acceptance of whatever his fate may be—even death. Narrator Peter Wickham maintains a clear, calm tone, as the philosophy requires, and makes the rather stilted dialogue as natural sounding as he can. The argument may or may not be convincing, but it is, in any case, a fine example of classical logic from late antiquity (524 CE). Boethius was ultimately enrolled in the list of martyrs as St. Severinus, having been executed shortly after he finished writing. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
This audiobook was written by the Roman philosopher Boethius while he was awaiting sentencing and execution. One of the last great blooms of classical Greek Stoicism, it is a dialogue between the author and Philosophy, who appears as a woman who leads him to a proper Stoic acceptance of whatever his fate may be—even death. Narrator Peter Wickham maintains a clear, calm tone, as the philosophy requires, and makes the rather stilted dialogue as natural sounding as he can. The argument may or may not be convincing, but it is, in any case, a fine example of classical logic from late antiquity (524 CE). Boethius was ultimately enrolled in the list of martyrs as St. Severinus, having been executed shortly after he finished writing. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine