Carcanet Press - Satyrica

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Thucydides? Hyperides? Who needs it? Unpretentious poetry? Not us; unless it's sick, forget it. Mature mastery? To do what with? Fine art; same story: why learn drawing when you get awards for painting by numbers?

Professor Agamemnon came out looking prickly... 'Listen kid,' he said, 'I dig your candour. Very unusual. You want the bottom line? I'll give it to you straight. ...When your market's crazy people, you have to act crazy... . I was listening so hard I never spotted my friend Ascyltus doing a runner...

Petronius lived during the reign of the notorious emperor Nero, a writer in a decadent empire, and in Frederic Raphael he finds a translator who brings his words vividly alive. Petronius' Rome is not the noble civilisation of classical ideals; his Romans are lascivious, amoral and stylish, inhabiting a louche world of ostentatious, nouveau riche extravagance and flirtation with the seductive menace of the Roman underclass. In Raphael's hands, the Satyrica becomes a modern novel, Petronius a contemporary. Freed of the weight of classical decorum, the Satyrica is racily subversive, scandalously entertaining. This work, writes Raphael, has always been excluded from the curriculum: it offers no improving pieties. Petronius' - and Raphael's - ancient Rome is recognisably the city of Pasolini and Fellini as much as of Virgil.

Cover drawing: A study for the Satyrica by Sarah Raphael, January 2009 (reproduced by permission of the Estate of Sarah Raphael). Cover design by StephenRaw.com.

Petronius

Petronius (ca. 27–66) was a Roman writer and noted satirist of the Neronian age. He has been identified with Gaius Petronius Arbiter, consul and enlightened governor of Bythnia, in Asia Minor, although the manuscript text of the Satyricon calls him Titus Petronius. He became an intimate of Nero, by whom he ... read more

Frederic Raphael

Frederic Raphael was born in Chicago in 1931 and educated at Charterhouse and St John’s College, Cambridge. His novels include The Glittering Prizes (1976), A Double Life (1993), Coast to Coast (1998) and Fame and Fortune (2007); he has also written short stories and biographies of Somerset Maugham and Byron. Frederic ... read more

Praise for Frederic Raphael 'Frederic Raphael leaves unlocked a virtual postbox of unsent letters. Insistently addressing "you", the real subject is "I". He beards old friends, family, collaborators and antagonists; settling scores; mentioning his Oscar once or twice; allowing his wit free rein.'
Brian Morton, The Tablet
'This book contains tremendous erudition and intelligence, blistering scorn for mediocrities and frauds, tenderness for a few favourites and irony at its most shapely and elegant.'
Richard Davenport-Hines, Literary Review
'Raphael's intelligence and acerbic wit are undiminished... Whether you've lived through most of the years covered in Last Post or not you'll be bound to find these letters to the dead who cannot answer back immensely entertaining.'
Brian Martin, The Spectator
'A hilarious and disillusioned page-turner.'
Peter Green, The TLS
'Against the Stream offers many insights into Raphael's "double life". An American who made his career in Britain. A Jew who went to Charterhouse and Cambridge. A Hollywood script-doctor who read Ancient Greek for fun. Vain, sharp-tongued, but the sort of truth-teller Britain needed then and needs now.'
David Herman, Standpoint

'In these notebooks, Raphael shows himself alert to every vanity but his own, a shortcoming that, far from repelling a reader, becomes part and parcel of the their fascination. He is one of those writers who most reveals himself in his acerbic anatomy of others.'
Anthony Quinn, Telegraph 'Aphoristic, lapidary and sumptuously reflective by turns, Personal Terms is a joy to read both for Raphael's prose and mental powers. It is a book of iridescent intelligence, seductive charm, urbane temper and unflagging delight - indeed a minor masterpiece.'
Times Literary Supplement

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Satyrica Petronius Translated by Frederic Raphael Categories: Ancient Greek and Roman Imprint: Fyfield Books Publisher: Carcanet Press Available as: Paperback (320 pages) (Pub. Jan 2009) 9781857547832 Out of Stock Description Excerpt Author Reviews Thucydides? Hyperides? Who needs it? Unpretentious poetry? Not us; unless it's sick, forget it. Mature mastery? To do what with? Fine art; same story: why learn drawing when you get awards for painting by numbers? Professor Agamemnon came out looking prickly... 'Listen kid,' he said, 'I dig your candour. Very unusual. You want the bottom line? I'll give it to you straight. ...When your market's crazy people, you have to act crazy... . I was listening so hard I never spotted my friend Ascyltus doing a runner... Petronius lived during the reign of the notorious emperor Nero, a writer in a decadent empire, and in Frederic Raphael he finds a translator who brings his words vividly alive. Petronius' Rome is not the noble civilisation of classical ideals; his Romans are lascivious, amoral and stylish, inhabiting a louche world of ostentatious, nouveau riche extravagance and flirtation with the seductive menace of the Roman underclass. In Raphael's hands, the Satyrica becomes a modern novel, Petronius a contemporary. Freed of the weight of classical decorum, the Satyrica is racily subversive, scandalously entertaining. This work, writes Raphael, has always been excluded from the curriculum: it offers no improving pieties. Petronius' - and Raphael's - ancient Rome is recognisably the city of Pasolini and Fellini as much as of Virgil. Cover drawing: A study for the Satyrica by Sarah Raphael, January 2009 (reproduced by permission of the Estate of Sarah Raphael). Cover design by StephenRaw.com. Petronius Petronius (ca. 27–66) was a Roman writer and noted satirist of the Neronian age. He has been identified with Gaius Petronius Arbiter, consul and enlightened governor of Bythnia, in Asia Minor, although the manuscript text of the Satyricon calls him Titus Petronius. He became an intimate of Nero, by whom he ... read more Frederic Raphael Frederic Raphael was born in Chicago in 1931 and educated at Charterhouse and St John’s College, Cambridge. His novels include The Glittering Prizes (1976), A Double Life (1993), Coast to Coast (1998) and Fame and Fortune (2007); he has also written short stories and biographies of Somerset Maugham and Byron. Frederic ... read more Praise for Frederic Raphael 'Frederic Raphael leaves unlocked a virtual postbox of unsent letters. Insistently addressing "you", the real subject is "I". He beards old friends, family, collaborators and antagonists; settling scores; mentioning his Oscar once or twice; allowing his wit free rein.' Brian Morton, The Tablet 'This book contains tremendous erudition and intelligence, blistering scorn for mediocrities and frauds, tenderness for a few favourites and irony at its most shapely and elegant.' Richard Davenport-Hines, Literary Review 'Raphael's intelligence and acerbic wit are undiminished... Whether you've lived through most of the years covered in Last Post or not you'll be bound to find these letters to the dead who cannot answer back immensely entertaining.' Brian Martin, The Spectator 'A hilarious and disillusioned page-turner.' Peter Green, The TLS 'Against the Stream offers many insights into Raphael's "double life". An American who made his career in Britain. A Jew who went to Charterhouse and Cambridge. A Hollywood script-doctor who read Ancient Greek for fun. Vain, sharp-tongued, but the sort of truth-teller Britain needed then and needs now.' David Herman, Standpoint 'In these notebooks, Raphael shows himself alert to every vanity but his own, a shortcoming that, far from repelling a reader, becomes part and parcel of the their fascination. He is one of those writers who most reveals himself in his acerbic anatomy of others.' Anthony Quinn, Telegraph 'Aphoristic, lapidary and sumptuously reflective by turns, Personal Terms is a joy to read both for Raphael's prose and mental powers. It is a book of iridescent intelligence, seductive charm, urbane temper and unflagging delight - indeed a minor masterpiece.' *Times Literary Supplement*	Share this... Quick Links Carcanet Poetry Carcanet Classics Carcanet Fiction Carcanet Film Lives and Letters PN Review Video Carcanet Celebrates 50 Years! The Carcanet Blog One Little Room: Peter McDonald read more Collected Poems: Mimi Khalvati read more Invisible Dog: Fabio Morbito, translated by Richard Gwyn read more Dante's Purgatorio: Philip Terry read more Billy 'Nibs' Buckshot: John Gallas read more Emotional Support Horse: Claudine Toutoungi read more
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Satyrica

Petronius

Translated by Frederic Raphael