Poetic Obituaries: [To David West], the ancient world was best

understood by its poetry--notably the Roman poets Virgil, Horace and Lucretius--rather than through the reading of historical documents or examining archaeological digs. By translating Virgil's Aeneid in 1990, he breathed new life into the epic for the modern generation, using prose rather than verse to give it a wider readership.

He once said of the labour of love: "I know of nobody at the end of our century who reads long narrative poems in English, and I want the Aeneid to be read."

from The Herald: Professor David West

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