ON THE SOUL DE ANIMA TR. BOLOTIN

David Bolotin's translation of Aristotle's DE ANIMA, aims above all at fidelity to the Greek and tries to convey the meaning--to the extent possible in English--of his every word. The translation itself is supplemented with footnotes, some of which, when taken together, sketch the outline of an overall interpretation of the work. Since Bolotin considers Aristotle to be a teacher, he has made a scrupulous effort to examine the manuscript tradition. And he has relied only on readings that are well-attested in the oldest manuscripts, rather than accepting conjectural emendations of modern editors, who all too often substitute a Greek text that is easy to understand for any of those that have come down to us from the ancient copyists. Bolotin's translation subordinates felicity of English expression to the demand for fidelity to the Greek. For readers who wish to study DE ANIMA, it offers access that has hitherto been unavailable in English to the precise meaning of Aristotle's text.