Horace, The Odes
New Translations by Contemporary Poets
They have inspired poets and challenged translators through the centuries. The odes of Horace are the cornerstone of lyric poetry in the Western world. Their subtlety of tone and brilliance of technique have often proved elusive, especially when - as has usually been the case - a single translator ventures to maneuver through Horace's infinite variety. Now for the first time, leading poets from America, England, and Ireland have collaborated to bring all 103 odes into English in a series of new translations that both dazzle as poems and illuminate the imagination of one of literary history's towering figures.
J. D. McClatchy, Professor of English at Yale University, is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently Hazmat. The author of two volumes of literary essays and several opera libretti as well, he has edited numerous books, including The Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry. McClatchy has been Editor of The Yale Review since 1991.