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sh00's review against another edition
4.0
Два момента.
Усмешка, когда сначала речь про царя, потом про командира, потом от третьего лица появляется автор, как второстепенный персонаж, потом камера приближается, приближается, и автор занимает всё больше места, пока в конце не раздаётся, нечто подобное знаменитому "я заведующий всем, и всё из-за меня". Издать под чужим именем, но никого не обмануть. Гляньте, чего Ксенофонт отмочил, хахаха. Фемистоген, да иди ты, хахахаха.
Греки прошли через огонь и воду, медных труб не ожидается. Леса, степи и ночёвка под снегом. И вот море - ещё даже не само море, а тёмная полоска на горизонте, видная с холма, Понт. И вот они прыгают на месте, дубасят друг друга по плечам и по чему попало, орут и радуются - потому что море означает, что они почти дома. Море и есть дом. Внутри каждого из нас есть море. На короткий миг мне кажется, что я там уже был и мне это крайне знакомо...
Мартовские иды, они такие.
Усмешка, когда сначала речь про царя, потом про командира, потом от третьего лица появляется автор, как второстепенный персонаж, потом камера приближается, приближается, и автор занимает всё больше места, пока в конце не раздаётся, нечто подобное знаменитому "я заведующий всем, и всё из-за меня". Издать под чужим именем, но никого не обмануть. Гляньте, чего Ксенофонт отмочил, хахаха. Фемистоген, да иди ты, хахахаха.
Греки прошли через огонь и воду, медных труб не ожидается. Леса, степи и ночёвка под снегом. И вот море - ещё даже не само море, а тёмная полоска на горизонте, видная с холма, Понт. И вот они прыгают на месте, дубасят друг друга по плечам и по чему попало, орут и радуются - потому что море означает, что они почти дома. Море и есть дом. Внутри каждого из нас есть море. На короткий миг мне кажется, что я там уже был и мне это крайне знакомо...
Мартовские иды, они такие.
joestewart's review against another edition
3.0
I found this a tough read, in part because of the many names (they don’t mean anything to me) but as well the unusual use of words (many of which I think had a different meaning when it was translated). The narrative has a “first he did this then he did that” quality to it which bored me.
johnbyers1500's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
binstonbirchill's review against another edition
3.0
Xenophon and a few of his pals (10,000 to be exact) march from Sardis (modern west Turkey) to Babylon then turn north and march through the mountains of Armenia, skirt the black sea all the way to Byzantium (or Constantinople, or Istanbul). They begin as mercenaries in the pay of Prince Cyrus who wants to overthrow the King of Persia and events determine where they go from there. Xenophon was a general in this expedition, and if you take him at his word he was a pretty darn nice one. This book doesn't reach the lofty heights of Thucydides, Herodotus, Arrian or Livy but it is certainly worth a read for those who love all things Greece. The 50 page introduction is well worth a look as well, I liked the intro and the last 100 pages or so of Xenophon's journey the most.
david_rhee's review against another edition
3.0
Most of us are likely used to reading Hellenic histories involving prominent figures and wars which have been carved into history, but it was interesting to see that an account like Xenophon's had made it to us. This is the story not of Greek soldiers fighting for their people's defense but of mercenaries lending their services to a Persian usurper. It gives a rare view into what happened far more than we ever imagined. The same values shone through whether it was military valor or fairness in the dealing with others. The tense relations between the Greek city states both in their conflicts and collaboration also were familiar and ever present. The method of Hellenic history remained consistent even though the focus was on a different "layer" of the same Greek culture and life.
imclaugh's review against another edition
4.0
An endlessly fascinating text. A gripping adventure story with tantalizing hints of emergent pan-hellenist ideology and revealing anecdotes about the Greek relation with the Oriental "Other" (Others) as well as perceptions of the various city-states.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
This edition is Rex Warner's translation of Xenophon's Ἀνάβασις, edited by George Cawkwell. I suppose Warner & Cawkwell tend to prefer non-literal titles of their publications in order to stand out—their translation of Xenophon's Ἑλληνικά was titled "A History of My Times" instead of the more commonly accepted "Hellenika," just as this one is "The Persian Expedition" instead of "Anabasis." Despite this rather amusing eccentricity, I've really not found much to complain about with Warner's translations; they tend to be fairly literal while also preserving the poetic flair of the original (if any exists), and of course Cawkwell's notes are exemplary.
Xenophon's story of the anabasis—an ancient Greek mercenary army's march across difficult terrain to return home after being betrayed by their Persian employers—is a really fun read if you like military history or survival stories, because that's all it is. Xenophon himself was present—this is an eyewitness account—and was in fact one of the soldiers chosen to lead the retreating army. Honestly, I can't blame him for defecting to Sparta.
Xenophon's story of the anabasis—an ancient Greek mercenary army's march across difficult terrain to return home after being betrayed by their Persian employers—is a really fun read if you like military history or survival stories, because that's all it is. Xenophon himself was present—this is an eyewitness account—and was in fact one of the soldiers chosen to lead the retreating army. Honestly, I can't blame him for defecting to Sparta.