It should be noted that, as history, Lucan's work is far from being scrupulously accurate, frequently ignoring historical fact for the benefit of drama and rhetoric. For this reason, it should not be read as a reliable account of the Roman Civil War. However, as a work of poetic literature, it has few rivals; its powerful depiction of civil war and its consequences have haunted readers for centuries, and prompted many Medieval and Renaissance poets to regard Lucan among the ranks of Homer, Virgil, and Ovid.
—-DBK
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
ORIGINAL TEXT —
Duff, J.D.: "Lucan: The Civil War" (Loeb Classics Library,
London, 1928). Latin text with English translation.
OTHER TRANSLATIONS —
Braund, Susan H.: "Lucan: Civil War" (Oxford University Press,
Oxford, 1992). NOTE: Highly Recommended Translation!
RECOMMENDED READING —
Fuller, J.F.C.: "Julius Caesar — Man, Soldier, and Tyrant"
(DaCapo Press, New York, 1965)
Gardner, Jane F. (Trans.): "Caesar: The Civil War" (Penguin
Classics, London, 1967). Also contains "The Alexandrian War",
"The African War", and "The Spanish War", all anonymous.