Joseph Farrell, the Mark K. and Esther W. Watkins Professor in the Humanities and a professor of classical studies in the School of Arts and Sciences, has won the Alexander G. McKay Book Prize from the Vergilian Society for his book Juno’s Aeneid: A Battle for Heroic Identity. The prize is awarded for the best book in studies of the ancient Roman poet Vergil, who lived in the Augustan period and composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid.

The citation called the book “the work of one of the most insightful interpreters of Vergilian and Augustan poetry,” and said, “Juno’s Aeneid will remain a landmark study in Vergilian scholarship for generations to come.”

Dr. Farrell is an internationally recognized Latinist whose research spans genres and historical epochs. A scholar of Latin literature and poetry as well as the culture of the Republican and Augustan periods, he has published a number of groundbreaking studies that encompass both traditional and innovative topics and approaches. He has translated important and highly challenging texts and has edited and co-edited influential compilations, namely on Augustan poetry and the works of Vergil.

The Vergilian Society promotes more effective teaching of Latin and Greek literature, ancient history, and Roman life, with the conviction that informed and enthusiastic teachers are the key to student interest in classical studies.