> Skip to content
  • Published: 2 January 2015
  • ISBN: 9780143106869
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $37.99
Categories:

Jason and the Argonauts



"King Pelias insisted,
so they drove the tautly fitted Argo
up through the narrows of the Pontic Sea
and past the Cobalt Clashing Rocks to win
the golden fleece."

Now in a riveting new verse translation from Aaron Poochigian, Jason and the Argonauts (known also as the Argonautica), is the only full account that has survived of Jason's voyage on the Argo in quest of the Golden Fleece and his relationship with the sorceress princess Medea. Written in third century B.C., the story was met with derision in the poet's native city of Apollonius, Alexandria, only to be later heavily revised and acclaimed by the Rhodians before achieving widespread success. Though Apollonius used the manner and matter of epic, he wrote from a personal viewpoint, critically observing one of the most beloved heroes of Greek mythology. His understanding of human nature with all its merits and flaws, his unerring eye for dramatic moment, and his quiet sense of humor give reality and spirit to this fantastic story of high romance and incredible adventure.

This edition features an introduction and notes by classical scholar Benjamin Acosta-Hughes.

The first new Penguin Classics translation of the Argonautica since the 1950s

Now in a riveting new verse translation, Jason and the Argonauts (also known as the Argonautica) is the only surviving full account of Jason’s voyage on the Argo in quest of the Golden Fleece aided by the sorceress princess Medea. Written in the third century B.C., this epic story of one of the most beloved heroes of Greek mythology, with its combination of the fantastical and the real, its engagement with traditions of science, astronomy and medicine, winged heroes, and a magical vessel that speaks, is truly without parallel in classical or contemporary Greek literature and is now available in an accessible and engaging translation.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 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.

  • Published: 2 January 2015
  • ISBN: 9780143106869
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $37.99
Categories:

Other books in the series

Maldoror and Poems
On Sparta
Love
Annals
Military Dispatches

About the author

Apollonius Of Rhodes

Little is known of the life of Apollonius of Rhodes.  Despite his surname he was a citizen of Alexandria in the time of the Ptolemies.  His fame rests solely on the Argonautica, a poem which was from the first unfairly compared with Homer's epic The Odyssey, but which Virgil was not ashamed to borrow from. Unlike his life-long rival Callimachus, Apollonius developed the classical traditions of the Homeric epic, expanding them to include a flair for romance and psychological insight which were entirely his own.

He published his first version of the Argonautica sometime in the middle of the third century B.C.  He was met with derision both from the public and the influential Callimachus, and Apollonius prepared a second and probably shorter version.  This was so well received by the Rhodians that he was honoured with their franchise and for some years lived on that island.  Later he returned to Alexandria to find his work now held in high esteem.  At the end of his life he was Director of the famous library of Alexandria, which was the principal storehouse of all pagan literature and learning.

Also by Apollonius Of Rhodes

See all