The Satires

Juvenal, writing between AD 110 and 130, was one of the two great satirists of ancient Rome (the other being Horace). His powerful and witty attacks on the vices of the big city have been admired and used by many English writers including Dr Johnson. Niall Rudd's translation aims to reproduce Juvenal's livliness and energy whilst maintaining the poet's general stylistic and metrical effect.

---

BLA new translation combining textual accuracy with colourful poetry

Juvenal, whose work dates from the early second century AD, is commonly considered the greatest of Roman satirical poets. His sixteen satires are all concerned with contemporary Roman society. They are notable for their bitter, ironical humour, power of invective, grim epigrams, sympathy with the poor, and a narrow pessimism. Juvenal's influence was great among English satirists, notably Samuel Johnson.

In this new translation of the Satires, Professor Rudd combines textual accuracy with colourful poetry. His verse vividly conveys Juvenal's gift for evoking a wealth of imagery with a few economical phrases.

The introduction and notes provided by Dr Barr outline the background to the Satires and explain contemporary allusions. This translation should therefore be fully accessible to the modern reader.