The First Greek Translation of Cicero’s De re publica (1839)

Autore: Deligiannis, Ioannis
Titolo: The First Greek Translation of Cicero’s De re publica (1839)
Rivista/Miscellanea: Deligiannis, Ioannis, Cicero in Greece, Greece in Cicero, Aspects of Reciprocal Reception from Classical Antiquity to Byzantium and Modern Greece, De Guyter, 2024, 274 p.
Luogo edizione: Berlin, Boston
Editore: De Gruyter
Anno edizione: 2024
Pagine: 171-201
Parole chiave: Héritage - Fortuna - Legacy, Traduction - Traduzione - Translation
Descrizione: The editio princeps of Cicero’s dialogue in 1822 by Mai was soon followed by the first Greek version, produced by Viaros Kapodistrias (1774–1842) and published under a pseudonym in Athens in 1839. The still unstable political conditions of the Greek State, under which the translation was made, are implied by the translator in his address to the readers in the prologue, which closes with an exhortation to his compatriots to benefit by reading Cicero’s political thoughts. A detailed examination reveals that Viaros worked not on the original Latin text, but on Villemain’s French version (Paris 1823), of which a copy was certainly in the personal library of his brother, Ioannis Kapodistrias, and thus available to Viaros. Furthermore, the Greek terms used by the translator show remarkable similarities with the vocabulary of French-Greek dictionaries earlier than or contemporary with the translation. The reasons behind publishing his version under a pseudonym are not clear, but it is likely to relate to the political conditions of the time, especially after the assassination of his brother in 1831 and an increasing discontent towards King Otto’s refusal to grant a constitution to the Greeks [Deligiannis 2024, 99].
Opere:
Link: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111292779-011/pdf
Sigla autore: Deligiannis 2024b