The Best Translation of The Acharnians
The Acharnians was written in Ancient Greek. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
Jeffrey Henderson
Harvard University Press · 1998 · 408 pages
Henderson's Loeb doesn't sanitize the dick jokes or the partisan bile, which matters because the Acharnians is Aristophanes calling Cleon out by name. Facing-page Greek, generous notes on what every Athenian in the audience would have caught.
Every recommended edition, compared
Sommerstein's Penguin is the readable classroom version, well-annotated and sharp on the anti-war argument without over-explaining the punchlines. Lighter on the bawdy than Henderson but still honest about it.
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Reading The Acharnians in translation
The Acharnians was written in Ancient Greek, so unless you read Ancient Greek, the translator decides the book you actually experience — its register, its pace, how it sounds read aloud. Two editions of the same work can feel like different books.
The ranking above is Gröblé’s: one reader’s verdict on which English gets you closest, not a publisher’s blurb. Start with the top pick; reach for the others when you want a different angle on the original.