Neil W. Bernstein
At a university that's a little more than 200 years old, Neil W. Bernstein (opens in a new window)studies life and literature that's more than 2,000 years old. Spoiler alert: stories of love, war and politics abound, and the plotlines of ancient Rome still run through today's Hollywood blockbusters.
Bernstein's research focuses on Latin literature from the Roman imperial period 鈥 27 BCE to 476 CE 鈥 a period of epic storytelling, narrative poetry, declarative speeches, and a lot of wars and social and political upheaval. Bernstein's translations and analyses help bring this era to life for modern students and scholars.
His first two books 鈥 "" and "" 鈥 examine issues of family and community and ethical and social conflict in the early Roman imperial period. He's also written a book about the tragedy of Hercules, as told by playwright Seneca, as well as a helping Latin students read the play.
More recently, Bernstein has translated and analyzed the writings of first-century poet and statesman Silius Italicus, particularly Punica, his 12,000-line epic poem on Rome's war with Carthage. His recent book, "" is the first full-scale commentary in English devoted to Punica 9, which begins the narrative of the Battle of Cannae in August 216 BC. His commentary in the book examines the disastrous Roman defeat at Cannae, the largest battle of the ancient Greco-Roman world.
Due out in January, Bernstein's latest book, "," offers a modern and accessible translation of the poet Claudian鈥檚 work, published in English for the first time since 1922. Claudian (active 395-404 AD) was the last great classical Latin poet, and his poems were major influences on European art and literature.
Bernstein is a professor of classics and religious studies (opens in a new window)in the College of Arts and Sciences.