Theogony & Works and Days (Focus Classical Library) First Edition

The translator for Penguin gives off an odd vibe with her notes and introduction and overall presentation; and seems to generally make unfounded or weak claims about the validity and meaning of certain lines or facts, BUT I still enjoyed reading it despite the lack of interesting critical scholarship. I went with Penguin's version over Oxford because they included Theognis' Elegies as well, which is the bulk of this book. What little of the Oxford translation I could read seemed congested and unrhythmic, whereas Penguin's translation remains poetic without abandoning the source text. It also seems odd that they would leave out the Shield of Herakles considering this volume is quite brief, though dense.The Theogony is a really fascinating creation story that details many of the bizarre creatures and gods of Greek myth and a loose chronology and family tree. It may come off as too much information for a casual reader, as it rattles off lots of dense information and names, but it's perhaps the oldest Greek source of myth that we have, so it's hard not to be interested; especially when you consider that it is almost certainly a more recent representation of older texts which are no longer extant.Works and Days is a more practical, down to earth sort of work, dealing with social, farming, and religious advice.Theognis' Elegies are a very curious mixture of ethical and social maxims, and numerous love poems from elder to protege. At times these Elegies read a bit like a Greek Confucious and share some similarities with the Analects, although the Elegies seem to be a much more infomral collection of poems and Theognis' is far more prone to go against his own wisdom when it comes to his lover and the state of his city.

"Works and Days" was the purpose, or rather, reading the agricultural material from the time of Hesiod. This Stephanie Nelson translation is like getting a Ferrari for the price of a used Ford. More specifically,-- the book includes Theogony as well as Works and Days-- it comes with erudite, enriching essays on both books-- the translation is poetry, not prose, but poetry true to the original texts we have-- the translations include witty, wise, informative footnotes on every page, like a conversation with the translator-- through this, I've met for the first time a feisty, fascinating man who gets lost in lesser translations. Who could resist, after the invocation to the Muses who dwell on Pieria in fine style the fine blunt, "For mine, I would speak truth to Perses."(Perses his brother, that fool, to whom Hesiod gives an earful.The Theogony covers the history of the gods as Hesiod knew or embellished it, which even a thousand years later was the generally accepted version, one that imspired scores of writers then and now. The Woks and Days is sheer delight, including in almost Lucretian style (Lucretius came long after Hesiod) beliefs and opinions about much concerning life and making a living, including some keen but apprehensive words on sailing the wine-dark sea.A lovely gift from Nelson and essayist Caldwell---and the deities which almost miraculously have preserved Homer and Hesiod for our times and beyond. If you can afford only one translation of Hesiod, this is it!

This book includes Hesiod Theogony and Works and days, as well as Theognis Elegies. Classic Greek literature that is a must for anyone who is either interested in Greek religion or mythology. Well put together notes and glossary. Highly recommend. 👍 👌

Many readers focus on the Theogony, which is the ancient Greeks Creation Story, and which Hesiod articulated masterfully. The descriptions of the battles between Zeus and the Titans made for vivid and stirring oration in the hands of a great speaker, as he boasts that he was by citing his awards. However, I was more intrigued by Works and Days. The advice of Hesiod was, indeed, sagacious: "It is good to take from what is available, but sorrow to the heart to be wanting what is not." And I liked this one: "Right gets the upper hand over violence in the end." At times he seemed like Thoreau incarnate preaching industry and self-reliance from his little cabin on Walden Pond: "Avoid shady seats and sleeping til sunrise at harvest time, when the sun parches the skin. At that time get on with it and gather home the harvest, rising before dawn so that your livelihood may be assured. For the morning accounts for a third of the work." Or this one: "For property is as life to wretched mortals." Some of his advice is quaint, as when a man should take a wife. The thing of it is that so much of what passed for wisdom in ancient days would still pass for it today.

I found Wender's translation to be both readable and pleasing. Although Hesiod and Theognis are not necessarily related by their views, they do have a similarity. That being that they are perhaps more densly populated with great short quotable statements than any other works in literature. The one criticism that I would agree with is that it would have been nice for the notes to be turned into footnotes. They are very useful and looking to the back of the book constantly is a bit tedious. Still, it's a small price to pay when reading such excellent works.

Translator did a great job and the introduction was helpful.

I know that Penguin Classics aren't know for their superb binding or print quality, but the letters are almost blobs and the paper is a weird color. Disappointing even for Penguin.

Good

Good buy and read for Greek mythology enthusiasts

very small and portable. decent quality.

The book is no doubt brilliant, but the printing is poor, page quality has degraded with Penguin Classics recently, and this book was no exception. The book's cover seemed uneven probably because of storage problems. However the content is as usual great!

It's a great used book

The print is so bad, the ink bleads in many places, some pages appears really crowded and does not give a good reading experience. Better check another editions !