RSC Fellow and UBC professor Susanna Braund shines light on ancient texts with modern impact
Virgil is often considered one of the greatest poets of ancient Rome. His work — and the thousands of translations of it since its publication two-thousand years ago — is said to have influenced Dante’s Divine Comedy and much of Western literature.
UBC professor Susanna Braund (Classical, Near Eastern & Religious Studies) examines how the translation and multiple interpretations of Virgil’s poetry have influenced modern societies or been used to justify abuses of power. Braund is regarded as one of the world’s preeminent scholars on the subject.
In recognition of her contributions to our understanding of Latin poetry on modern society, Braund was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. View the video below to learn more about her work.
Susanna Braund is the world expert on the translation history of the major Latin poet Virgil. She earlier pioneered literary study of Roman satire and cultural study of the emotions in Roman literature. She produced acclaimed scholarly editions and translations of Juvenal, Persius, Lucan and Seneca. Her synthesizing approach combines philological methods and contemporary theoretical frameworks to illuminate and deepen our appreciation of Latin literature and Roman culture.
— Citation from the Royal Society of Canada