The city of Troy has been ransacked by conquering Greeks and lies in smouldering ruins. A warrior, Aeneas, manages to escape from the ashes. He will go on to change the history of the world ...The ''Aeneid'' tells the story of an epic seven year journey that sees Aeneas cross stormy seas, become entangled in a tragic love affair with Dido of Carthage, visit the world of the dead - all the way tormented by the vengeful Juno, Queen of the Gods - and finally reach Italy, where he will fulfil his destiny: to found the Roman people. A sweeping epic of arms and heroism, dispossession and defeat, and a searching portrait of a man caught between love, duty and fate, The ''Aeneid'' brings to life a whole human world of passion, nobility and courage. This is the much-anticipated new version of Virgil's epic poem from the translator of the ''Odyssey'' and the ''Iliad''. With this stunning modern verse translation Robert Fagles reintroduces the ''Aeneid'' to a whole new generation, and completes the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization. It retains all of the gravitas and humanity of the original, as well as its powerful blend of poetry and myth.With an illuminating introduction to Virgil's world from noted scholar Bernard Knox, this new ''Aeneid'' gives a vibrant, contemporary voice to the literary achievement of the ancient world.