Joseph Farrell Wins McKay Book Prize for Juno’s Aeneid

Joseph Farrell, Mark K. and Esther W. Watkins Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Classical Studies, has won the Alexander G. McKay Book Prize from the Vergilian Society for Juno’s Aeneid: A Battle for Heroic Identity. The prize is awarded for the best book in studies of the ancient Roman poet Vergil, who lived in the Augustan period and composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid.

The citation calls the book “the work of one of the most insightful interpreters of Vergilian and Augustan poetry,” and says, “Juno’s Aeneid will remain a landmark study in Vergilian scholarship for generations to come.”

Farrell is an internationally recognized Latinist whose research spans genres and historical epochs. A scholar of Latin literature and poetry as well as the culture of the Republican and Augustan periods, he has published a number of groundbreaking studies which encompass both traditional and innovative topics and approaches. He has translated important and highly challenging texts and has edited and co-edited influential compilations, namely on Augustan poetry and the works of Vergil.

The Vergilian Society promotes more effective teaching of Latin and Greek literature, ancient history, and Roman life, with the conviction that informed and enthusiastic teachers are the key to student interest in classical studies.

To read the full citation, click here.