Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
I am currently reading VDH's The Father of Us All: War and History--Ancient and Modern, a series of superb essays by Dr. Hanson on a variety of war-related topics.
In the course of reading these essays, Dr. Hanson refers to several seminal works from the classical world, most prominently Thucidydides Peloponnesian War, but also to Xenophon, Plutarch, and others, not to mention the great works of Greek theatre that comment on the issues flowing from these classical wars. So here's my two-part question. For those of us who wish to delve into some of these original writings, which are the essential texts (history, poetry, and drama) the amateur should begin with, and which are the best translations? I've read the Fagles translations of Homer's great works (and loved them), but have no clue (aside from Thucydides) which I should read, and which translators accurately and accessibly render the works into English.
And perhaps as a added bonus, give us the five best modern war memoirs (which I'm sure would include E.B. Sledge's memoir of Peleliu and Okinawa).
Can you give us some help?
Ricocheteer's comments are likewise solicited.
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Jan '11
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
A remarkable Canadian autobiography about World War I is "Ghosts Have Warm Hands", by Will R Bird. I wish this was compulsory reading in public schools, it is well written and provides a lot of insight into "the human condition". Here is an excerpt of his remarkable experiences:
http://www.mta.ca/faculty/arts/history/wbird/ghosts.htm
PS, I'm not one of those horoscope and crystal people, but I do find his anecdote intriguing.
Jan '11
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
Andrea Ryan
I'm sure VDH doesn't have the time to put a course together, but I would pay big bucks (i.e. tuition) to have some kind of integrated text-reading/ lecture series by him on his list of recommended books. A course like Pseudo mentions, only written and taught by VDH. If I catch that leprechaun on my back hill that's my first wish. · Jan 12 at 7:56am
I second that comment. I've really enjoyed posted YouTube vids of DrVDH; no Powerpoint or teleprompter (ahem), and the excellent responses to questions are remarkable. I would love for his courses to be placed on iTunes University, where (cheapskate that I am) I can view them at no charge (currently making my way through a series on Roman architecture from Yale). They must know me here; when I click on Dr Hanson's profile, Richochet warns me to "Stop Following Victor Davis Hanson". :-)
May '10
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
Andrea Ryan
I'm sure VDH doesn't have the time to put a course together, but I would pay big bucks (i.e. tuition) to have some kind of integrated text-reading/ lecture series by him on his list of recommended books. A course like Pseudo mentions, only written and taught by VDH. If I catch that leprechaun on my back hill that's my first wish. · Jan 12 at 7:56am
Professor Victor Davis Hanson's online degree. Hmmm, that could make money, actually. Still copying my roomie's notes from Claire's class, of course.
I've had to warn you about that leprechaun infestation. Steer well clear. They look cute, but they'll steal your soul, swap your children for feral faerie babies, and set random deathtraps out of malicious boredom. Don't let your family become a statistic.
Jun '10
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
Thanks to Professors Hanson and Rahe and to my friends of Ricochet for their recommendations. Now to try to find time to read all these books.
This is one of the reasons I love Ricochet. I'm no collectivist, but it is true that none of us is as smart as all of us. I like to think of Ricochet as one of de Tocqueville's "small platoons."
May '10
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
How about some books by Antony Beevor - say, on Stalingrad, the 1945 Berlin operation, the D-Day, the Spanish Civil War? Instant classics, I'd say.
Are we talking only about autobiographies? If we can mention fiction, then the first things to mention would be Im Westen nicht neues by Remarque, In the Trenches of Stalingrad by Viktor Nekrasov, Radetzky March by Joseph Roth, The Red Cavalry by Isaak Babel, Life and Fate by Vassily Grossman, Die Apfelchen (The Little Apple) by Leo Perutz... (for some of these I don't know whether the titles were retained in translation...
There are many more, of course (does the war from War and Peace count? Does La Chartreuse de Parme?)
Sep '10
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
I second Prof. Rahe's recommendation of Churchill's _Marlborough_, it truly is sublime. As a follow-up you should also read William Manchester's unfinished biography of Winston, _The Last Lion_; it provides more insight into the dark days of the 1930s when Winston wrote his biography of his ancestor John that will be enriched by having read said biography. It is also just a magesterial work on its own, of course, that clearly shows Churchill's strength of Character in standing truly for England when few others would.
I also second the Xenephon recommendations; perhaps to be followed up by some commentary by Leo Strauss?
I recommend, after Thucydides, reading Donald Kagan's 4 volume history of the same war, in which he analyzes Thucydides in light of the other evidence and proceeds to deliver a more revealing history that also puts Thucydides' work in better perspective as well. Plus, he is so pursuasive and clear you'll constantly be slapping your head saying "Of course that's how it happened" on many unclear parts of Thucydides.
Edited on January 13, 2011 at 6:42pmJan '11
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
Allow me to contribute 5 books to the discussion.
"A Noise of War: Caesar, Pompey, Octavian and the Struggle for Rome" by AJ Langguth
"Storm of Steel" by Ernst Junger - a WW I memoir that turns E.M. Remarque upside down
"The Greco-Persian Wars" by Peter Green - A narrative classic, originally published as "Xerxes at Salamis"
"Goodbye, Darkness" by William Manchester - Should be read with Sledge
"Decision at Trafalgar" by Dudley Pope - Another narrative classic
and, of course, all 20 volumes of the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian, just for the sheer joy of it.
Comments are invited.
Sep '10
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
Sergei Nirenburg:
The Red Cavalry by Isaak Babel...
I couldn't agree more, "Red Cavalry Stories" is a masterpiece. I'd highly recommend "The Complete Works of Isaac Babel." It comes in one large volume for less than $20.00. in TPB. Only one volume because he was murdered by Stalin in 1940. Babel said, "No steel can pierce the heart as icily as a well placed period." And if you read his stories you'll find he was absolutely right.
Freesmith:
and, of course, all 20 volumes of the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian, just for the sheer joy of it.
Yep.
May '10
Re: Calling Victor Davis Hanson: Best Classical Books on War and Translations
Kennedy Smith
..Still copying my roomie's notes from Claire's class, of course.
I've had to warn you about that leprechaun infestation. Steer well clear. They look cute, but they'll steal your soul, swap your children for feral faerie babies, and set random deathtraps out of malicious boredom. Don't let your family become a statistic.
Darn! I missed this. Oh, well...I'll find you somewhere else and send you back here. Roomie took a class from Claire? How did I not know that?!!
Our leprechauns are the good kind. They're cute and build campfires on the back hill every night. But, just in case they're bad I have this interesting thing where I turn my son's nightlife off and the glowing light in the window disappears. So, I can make them come and go...just in case.