Looking for a good read, in Latin or Greek

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Democritus
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Looking for a good read, in Latin or Greek

Post by Democritus »

Right now I'm about 1/3 the way through Harrius Potter, and I think this text is helping my Latin improve immensely. I'm so glad the author produced this translation.

Another text which I was able to read without too much difficulty is Gesta Romanorum. These texts are a little simpleminded (but that's perfect for me, heh).

Can anyone suggest some Latin or Greek texts which make good reading material? I'm looking for something not too difficult, and perhaps something off the beaten path.

Things I am not looking for: poetry, and not history either, unless it's a very well told story. I'm also not necessarily looking for something specifically "Roman" or from any other specific period of time.

Thanks.

Turpissimus
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Post by Turpissimus »

Another text which I was able to read without too much difficulty is Gesta Romanorum. These texts are a little simpleminded (but that's perfect for me, heh).

Can anyone suggest some Latin or Greek texts which make good reading material? I'm looking for something not too difficult, and perhaps something off the beaten path.

Things I am not looking for: poetry, and not history either, unless it's a very well told story. I'm also not necessarily looking for something specifically "Roman" or from any other specific period of time.
Traditionally learners of Latin begin their reading with Caesar's De Bello Gallico, and then go on to Ovid, Vergil, or Horace (all poets). You said you didn't want to read history or poetry, so that rules out a huge number of Roman authors. However, you might find book four of the Gallic War interesting - it covers the customs and practices of the celtic tribes who inhabited Britain, including a description of how the Druids behaved. If that doesn't take your fancy then perhaps the letters of the Younger Pliny. The one which deals with his father's death at Vesuvius are quite interesting, as is the one covering his efforts over the Roman sewage system ( X 98 ), also the one in which he describes how to deal with practicing Christians ( X 96 & 97 ). Pliny's prose style is quite easy, and he is typically given to students of Latin as one of their very first authors to read in the original.

You might also try a book covering a number of Roman writers. I know such compendiums are available -

The Cambridge Latin Anthology
D.A. Russel's Anthology of Latin Prose

You should be able to find similar books if you search Amazon/Your local bookshop.
Last edited by Turpissimus on Sun Nov 07, 2004 6:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

annis
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Re: Looking for a good read, in Latin or Greek

Post by annis »

Democritus wrote:Can anyone suggest some Latin or Greek texts which make good reading material? I'm looking for something not too difficult, and perhaps something off the beaten path.
Babrius. It is poetic, but not awful. It's Aesop's fables in verse. And there is a very nice web site which has lots of Latin and Greek versions of the stories. They're usually quick reading, likely to improve vocabulary, and when you've finished one story you have the satisfaction of a complete tale. Aesopica.

Again, not quite Gesta Romanorum, is the Library of Apollodorus - a precis of Greek mythology. Again, interesting (at least if you find mythology interesting), good for vocab, you can read it in smaller chunks reasonably, little trickified syntax. Available at Perseus.
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Post by Episcopus »

The Cambridge Latin Anthology sucks, they are all adapted and feeble apart from Caesar's which are changed minimally.

Turpissimus
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Post by Turpissimus »

The Cambridge Latin Anthology sucks, they are all adapted and feeble apart from Caesar's which are changed minimally.
Really? I've never looked at those kinds of books. Generally, I'd say that the books to read are the ones that you wanted to read before you started Latin or Greek. For me, that would be Tacitus and, if I were a Greek student, Thucydides.

PeterD
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Post by PeterD »

I have a suggestion. How about a Byzantine Greek novel? Niketas Eugenianos's 12th-century Drosilla and Charikles. It's a love story (and it has pirates too!). It's written in Atticized Greek. There is an English translation facing the Greek text. Truly, Democritus, it is quite wonderful.
Fanatical ranting is not just fine because it's eloquent. What if I ranted for the extermination of a people in an eloquent manner, would that make it fine? Rather, ranting, be it fanatical or otherwise, is fine if what is said is true and just. ---PeterD, in reply to IreneY and Annis

Democritus
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Post by Democritus »

PeterD wrote:I have a suggestion. How about a Byzantine Greek novel? Niketas Eugenianos's 12th-century Drosilla and Charikles. It's a love story (and it has pirates too!). It's written in Atticized Greek. There is an English translation facing the Greek text. Truly, Democritus, it is quite wonderful.
Thanks for all pointers, especially this one about Drosilla and Charikles. I will give that one a try, as soon as I make my way through [size=134](/αρειος ποτήρ[/size], which I expect will take a looong time. :)

I wonder what sorts of medieval Latin authors might be interesting. I have this hunch that there might be some post-classical Latin texts out there which might be worth looking at, but which somehow I never caught wind of, in Latin class.

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Re: Looking for a good read, in Latin or Greek

Post by mariek »


I think it's great how they've translated Harry Potter into so many languages. My mother-in-law recently checked out the Harry Potter series (I think only the first four books) from her local public library, and is reading them in Chinese! They have two versions, one in Traditional Chinese and the other in Simplified Chinese.

richc
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Post by richc »

As for postclassical latin, how about the loebs tatti series.
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/itatti/forthcoming.html

Looks like a pretty new series, but they seem to be churning them out.

I have a question about the Byzantine novel "Drosilla and Charikles".
I looked it up and only found the english translation. Is there any more
info such as the publisher, etc.

thanks
richc

PeterD
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Post by PeterD »

richc wrote:I have a question about the Byzantine novel "Drosilla and Charikles". I looked it up and only found the english translation. Is there any more info such as the publisher, etc.
The publisher is Bolchazy. Here's the link to the novel's page for some info.:

www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=greek&id=536x

btw, it's also available thru amazon.
Fanatical ranting is not just fine because it's eloquent. What if I ranted for the extermination of a people in an eloquent manner, would that make it fine? Rather, ranting, be it fanatical or otherwise, is fine if what is said is true and just. ---PeterD, in reply to IreneY and Annis

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