'Friendship, Love, Abuse, etc: the shorter poems of Catallus' by Ranald Barnicot is published on 1st August 2020‘Friendship, Love, Abuse, etc’ is a collection of Ranald Barnicot’s translations into English of 109 shorter poems by the Roman poet Catullus (c 87 – c 57BCE), with an introduction on Catullus’s biography and literary context, and detailed notes on the poems at the back of the book. Barnicot has endeavoured to translate not only the meaning but also the spirit of the poems, in English language that reflects the full range of Catullus’s own expression of his relationships with his contemporaries: from passionate to tender to playful; from mildly scandalous to obscene; and from merely gossipy to sarcastic or virulently insulting.
Above all, Barnicot’s English translations do justice to the poetry and the spirit of the original.
This is a collection of poems to be savoured and enjoyed by readers at every level. In 2019, Ranald Barnicot received high praise in The Cannon’s Mouth for his anthology of translations of poems from European languages, ‘By Me, Through Me, Original Poems and Translations’ (Alba Publishing):
“As this collection ... proves, the translator’s creative life is one of real commitment and sacrifice, but one that offers real rewards. … Mr Barnicot demonstrates a certain sensitivity regarding the form and equilibrium of poetry, as well as having a specific hand that offers a respectful appropriation of ideas and intentions… All of the translations are both accurate and beautifully reconstructed.” — Thomas F Bugno Barnicot’s introduction and 14 pages of notes are deeply researched
offering an invaluable guide to the poems and illuminating Catullus’s life as a member of the ‘Novi Poetae’ (‘New Poets’) and his informal contacts among the rulers of the Roman world in the first century before Christ. There’s a full bibliography. This is a collection for the scholar and the layman alike, offering an insight into the poems and the life of the most controversial and fearless poet of ancient Rome, who dared to satirise the most powerful politicians and military leaders of his time, wrote poignant love poetry to Lesbia, whom he adored and lost, and directed the most scurrilous verses at his rivals and other enemies.
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'Friendship, Love, Abuse etc by Ranald Barnicot
Paperback, 21.0 x 1.48 cm. 100 pages, 107 poems, 14 pages of notes and full biography, RRP £11.00 Available to pre-order in July 2020
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