Works and Days

By Hesiod

Book Overview

A new verse translation by award-winning poet Alicia Stallings of one of the foundational works of ancient Greece TLS BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2018, selected by Rachel Hadas and Emily Wilson The ancient Greeks revered Hesiod, believing he had beaten Homer in a singing contest and that after his dead body was thrown to sea, it was brought back by dolphins. His Works and Days is one of the most important early works of Greek poetry. Ostensibly written by the poet to chide his lazy brother, it recounts the story of Pandora's box and humanity's decline since the Golden Age, and can be read as a celebration of rural life and a hymn to work. Alicia Stallings's new translation breathes new life into Hesiod's work, rendering its vivid poetry for a new generation of classics readers. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141197528
• ISBN13: 9780141197524
• Release Date: March 2018
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Works and Days Commentary

I'm a non-Ancient Greek reader who was looking for a good thorough commentary on Hesiod's "Works and Days". I tried a couple of different versions and this Tandy-Neale text was the best one that I came across. It features an excellent introductory essay and super detailed explanatory notes that run opposite the translated text. Don't let the technical sounding subtitle, "A Translation and Commentary for the Social Sciences", scare you off, the layman who is interested in the poem from primarily a literary perspective has a lot to gain from this book. Definitely recommended.

Rare source: concerns of common man and farmer in 600 BC

149 pages, about 40 pages for the work, while the rest comprises the introduction, footnotes and the index. The work is a rare example that describes concerns of the common Greek around the 7th century BC. Hesiod addresses the work to his brother, and defines rules for proper conduct along with a description of the ways of a farmer, encouraging his brother to not become indolent. The footnotes are presented opposite the text on each page which allows for easy reference. Some references to Hesiod's Theogony might make that a worthwhile read before this one.