A review by spacestationtrustfund
The Persian Expedition by Xenophon
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.