Rex Warner was a noted professor of English, translator, author and an ardent enthusiast of Greek history and classics. Athens at War: Retold From the History of the Peloponnesian War of Thucydides was originally published by The Bodley Head Ltd in March 26, 1970. This historical work of 176 pages is an elegantly written book and is aided by the illustrations of William Stobbs. This book is regarded as an extremely good book as it is very comprehensible and enthralling in nature. The dust jacket reads “Rex Warner, well-known translator of the Greek classics, has shortened his own full-length translation of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War to make a gripping and readable book”. (Warner, back cover, 4) Black and white maps like the Attica and Environs, Syracuse, Mainland Greece and The Aegean by William Stobbs surely adds more appeal to the book.
Athens at War: Retold From the History of the Peloponnesian War of Thucydides is seen from the perspective of Thucydides. He was an Athenian was born in 471 BC and who lived around the era of golden age of Greek history. The most noted character during this time was the great leader Pericles and thus in the text he becomes a significant personality. Other significant characters of this text other than Pericles, includes personalities like Nicias, Demosthenes, Lysander, and Alcibiades. These personalities, legendary by themselves, offer their insights by the dint of fate, words and action. Their cumulative proceedings may be defined as the summarization of human essence. The account of Thucydides as seen from the perspective of Rex Warner is basically an extensive effort for dominance and survival that ultimately brought adversity to native Athenians which was at that point at the zenith of its forthrightness, sincerity, truthfulness, honesty, openness and candor. Events after events followed to bring tragic outcome of matters for the city and pain was that all the text reveals here.
However it should be mentioned that the primary components of this book appears to be more like a novel that is historic in nature though the events were originally depicted by a person who was directly included within the affairs. He actually became the general in 423 BC but was proved to be a failure when he was unable to save Amphipolis and was disarmed and disgraced with an exile that lasted twenty years. Later he sent his time in Thrace but kept keen eyes on the proceedings. Earlier he was also taken prisoner in 430 BC but survived. The episode of details of this Athens Sparta battles ends in 411 BC. Thus this book can be regarded as an unfinished piece of work from the point of view of Thucydides as the actual battle stretched on for another 7 years. This original account could be quoted by the words of the man himself “my work is not a piece of writing designed to meet the taste of an immediate public, but was done to last forever”. (Warner, 17)
Warner mentions about Athens at War: Retold From the History of the Peloponnesian War of Thucydides that “I shall be satisfied if it be thought useful by those who wish to know the exact character of events now past which, human nature being what it is, will recur in similar or analogous forms.” (Warner, ix) Thus it is obvious that the targeted audience of this book is not really the hard boiled history scholars but the general masses that are willing to learn great deal about the happenings of yesteryear but never was able to overcome the scholarly texts and overtones. Warner’s main resource for this work was based on the work of Thucydides by the name History of the Peloponnesian War which is regarded as a classic by itself. It can be safely stated that Warner is extremely successful in his job and thus it is a joy to read. His job was made easier by wonder illustrations and the maps provided in the book makes the book zero ambiguous about the geography of the area concerned. A map of Attica and Environs, Syracuse, Mainland Greece and The Aegean by William Stobbs makes the landscape and the canvass clear for the readers and makes the proceedings easier to understand. It is only too obvious that I would recommend this book Athens at War: Retold From the History of the Peloponnesian War of Thucydides to all my friends and known surroundings because it is said that the sweetness of a sweet doubles only after sharing. The main reason behind recommendation however would be to enlighten my friends with the knowledge of personalities like Pericles, Nicias, Demosthenes, Lysander, and Alcibiades. They are classic by themselves but mostly they represent the basic human virtues of existence and Warner was extremely successful in depicting them.
A conclusion that summarizes the view of the book and places the book in a broader perspective would be just relent in this context it would be enough to mention that if history books were written in this manner for all ages and students it was just an appropriate conclusion to imagine a lot more number of students getting interested in the subject that would be otherwise regard as boring and slow.
Reference:
Warner, Rex; Athens at War: Retold From the History of the Peloponnesian War of Thucydides; National Book Trust, 1985
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