The Book Of Job Translated By Stephen Mitchell Pdf
Clidia Panahon
To me, this translation, from the others I had read in the bookstore, is perfect for people who want to be able to easily read the poem without any cryptic poetic harshness associated with this work that has turned many away from trying to read and enjoy. If you are looking for an easy fast and modern day language translation then this is perfect and I do recommend it.
The book is full of this type of brutality (which the action I could not get enough of) and the poetry translated by Mitchell is at a fast pace, deliciously described and soaked in horrifying images. Before I read it I thought Achilles featured more in the story than he actually does which is really only a small part, most of it sulking, but when he comes into action it is exhilarating and breathtaking poetic action (and slaughter).
The books of this story are not just about killing. The scenes with Hector and his wife Andromache, the meeting of Achilles and Priam, the games held for the funeral procession of Patroclus are all touching and mournful, beautifully written and brilliantly translated by Mitchell, that his translation is more contemporary and captures the current way that we use the English language, to think here we have contemporary poetry translation of an 8000-year-old epic and it still can grip and smother the heart and mind of the reader is some achievement.
The problem of this translation and the debates I have seen in reviews and so on are that this translation is an abridgment, that this translation is based on the theories of the eminent British scholar M. L. West who brought forth the theory that some of the Iliad is not the true original and some of the lines and books have been added over time, has led Mitchell to follow these theories and omit some passages, lines and a whole book, book 10, has brought its fair share of criticism and debate.
Now, because I have not read any other translations and cannot really give my opinion other than who is to say what the original really is as not much is known about homer, about the first draft and how this story developed and from whom it originated, I think the whole debate is dismissible since solid facts remain unseen but we will leave this up to the experts.
To me, though I understand Mitchell omitting what he did, I really wish he still would have translated what he had omitted, the lines, passages and book 10, and added it at the back of the book just for readers like myself, and let us decide plus also enjoy what has been taking out.
Other than this, I recommend this book to anyone wanting just a great read of adventure, of Gods, of heroes, villains, war, butchery, love, family, desire, and total mayhem, forget about the words poetry, epic, ancient, classic, and think of it just as an enjoyable exciting and gripping story and you will thoroughly enjoy this book.
Mitchell is apparently now writing his translation of The Odyssey which I will now wait patiently and excitingly to read, and when I have finished, I will choose most of the other translations, Fagles, Lombardo, Butler, Fitzgerald, Chapman and Pope and once again dive in to the Iliad and compare to Mitchell but most of all enjoy this brilliant classic again and again.
Stephen Mitchell is widely known for his ability to make ancient masterpieces thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and to create versions that are definitive for our time. His many books include the bestselling Tao Te Ching, Gilgamesh, The Book of Job, Bhagavad Gita, and The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. His web site is www.stephenmitchellbooks.com.
c80f0f1006