Review on the book “Virgilio: vida, mito e historia”

Review on the book Virgilio: vida, mito e historia (Madrid, Síntesis, 2018)

By Dr. María José Barrios Castro

After long years expecting a book which would contribute something original to the studies on Vergil, the Roman poet from the first century B.C., we are pleased about the new book entitled Vergil: Life, Mith and History by professor Francisco García Jurado and printed by Sintesis. Throughout this essay, the author tries to give us a different vision of the classical poet, analyzed, this time, as much more than a mere poet. S

With regard to the structure of the essay, the book is divided into three main parts and is also divided into sections. The first part deals with the Vergil’s life, which means asking oneself who Vergil was and looking for the answers in his own life testimonies and in those of other poets.

The second part is related to his legend. In this sense, the poet is studied from a different perspective: as a poet, magician and guide. To achieve this, the author tackles different kinds of legends on Vergil: the popular, the Napolitan and Roman one and the Vergil in the Dante’s Divine Comedy.

The third and last part is about the history and reception of Vergil in the later centuries. In this context, Vergil is showed through modern authors such as Eça de Queiroz, Croce, Borges and Antonio Colinas among others.

The book by Professor García Jurado offers a modern and vivid reading of the poet unlike any previous interpretation. For that reason, it is highly recommended but the author do not make any concessions for the lay reader so those unfamiliar with Vergil should abstain!  Dr. María José Barrios Castro

Prof. Dr. Francisco García-Jurado

Catedrático de filología latina en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Dirige el Grupo UCM de investigación "Historiografía y Recepción de la Literatura Grecolatina en España", ha sido investigador principal del "Diccionario Hispánico de la Tradición Clásica" y actualmente lo es del proyecto "El viaje de las ideas literarias. Historiografía comparada de la literatura clásica".

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OpenEdition le sugiere que cite este post de la siguiente manera:
Prof. Dr. Francisco García-Jurado (25 de marzo de 2019). Review on the book “Virgilio: vida, mito e historia” Reinventar la Antigüedad. Recuperado 17 de marzo de 2025 de https://doi.org/10.58079/mvev


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