List Books Supposing The Etruscan
| Original Title: | Turms, kuolematon |
| ISBN: | 9997408950 (ISBN13: 9789997408952) |
| Edition Language: | English URL http://www.mikawaltariseura.fi/ |
Mika Waltari
Hardcover | Pages: 381 pages Rating: 4 | 1500 Users | 71 Reviews
Itemize Of Books The Etruscan
| Title | : | The Etruscan |
| Author | : | Mika Waltari |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 381 pages |
| Published | : | 1956 by G.P. Putnam's Sons (NY) (first published 1955) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. European Literature. Finnish Literature. Classics |
Commentary In Favor Of Books The Etruscan
My comments on this book must be prefaced by two caveats. First, I am reading a translation from the 1950s (by Evelyn Ramsden), which I suspect would benefit from being updated. Second, it seems that this translation has drastically slashed the length of the original novel, resulting in a story that alternately drags and leaps without any real internal logic. It's hard to tell how much of my assessment is based on the unsympathetic editing and how much on the original story, so I wanted to make that clear at the outset! Set in the 5th century BC, this is the story of Turms, an exile who has come to Delphi seeking judgement in the aftermath of a religious crime. Recognised by the oracle as a man of destiny, he is acquitted and then embarks on a journey around the ancient Mediterranean, taking in battle with the Persians, piracy and - eventually - a romance with a priestess of Aphrodite, the alluring Arsinoe. As Turms follows this beguiling woman from the Greek colonies of Sicily to the nascent republic of Rome, he grows ever closer to his fate. With all this taken into account, it's quite remarkable how this translation manages to make it all so dull. Turms spends the vast majority of the book aimlessly wandering around the Mediterranean, and even when he meets the much-vaunted Arsinoe, his relationship with her is thoroughly implausible. One moment he can see right through her, as she flirts outrageously with his friends; the next minute he is plunged into a frenzy of desire for her. Arsinoe herself is merely a cardboard cut-out femme fatale. The gods are invoked to explain sudden changes of loyalty, friendships or allegiances that can't be justified by rational human behaviour, and the whole thing is an awkward mess. Judging by comments from people who've read the original, Waltari's text is actually much richer and more lyrical than is suggested in this translation. It's unfortunate that such an admired writer isn't given justice, but I really can't recommend this particular edition. If anyone should happen to find a more successful translation into English, I'd be enormously grateful for recommendations. You can find further bafflement, and a longer review, here on my blog: http://theidlewoman.blogspot.co.uk/20...Rating Of Books The Etruscan
Ratings: 4 From 1500 Users | 71 ReviewsAssessment Of Books The Etruscan
I really liked the atmosphere of the book and all the details on life during the Persian Wars. The places Turms visited played an important role in this captivating story, and, since I like visiting places...this book really travelled me through time and space!This was a book I just could not get into. I finished it but it just never piqued my interest. I think it's just me so give it a read (if you can find it as it's rare and most libraries do NOT have it).
I read the 1959 edition with a cover painting by Clark Hulings (see https://www.clarkhulings.com/wp-conte...) On the cover the two main characters kiss. He, Lars Turms, an etruscan Lucumon on the path of self knowledge. She, Arsinoe, cruel, capricious, selfish and even false but not evil, merely a reflection of the goddess. If you (reader) take that into account plus the deep rouge of her lips on the cover, it will be easy to imagine what the selling point of the novel was (at a time without
Another very good book, written in 1956, from Mika Waltari. Although the period of history, roughly the 5th century BCE, is not as significant as the history covered in The Egyptian or The Roman, the book does cover the period of the Persian invasions of Greece, the conflict between the Etruscans and the Romans, and the early rivalry between Carthage and Rome. I like the lead character, a man who does not know his origins and wanders from Ephesus and the other Greek cities to Sicily, and finally
It would great book for me if I haven't read Egyptian first....
After a rather slow and not very interesting start of the book, the story had some enjoyable chapters. Sadly, in the end it took back the pace and quality of the beginning. Only recommended if you are either familiar or intrested in etruscan-greek-roman history. With the lack of aforementioned, for me it was often a struggle to continue.
NEVERMORE!
0 Comments