Lucretius' On the Nature of the Universe was written around 55BCE, towards the end of the Roman Republic. Lucretius was unusual, though not alone, in his startlingly modern world view which encompassed Epicurean philosophy, a knowledge of physics and a belief that religion was intrinsically evil and an instrument of social control. The translation of Book 1 of his magnum opus is equally modern - Emma Gee plays with the Latin, retaining its linguistic and sonic effects whilst drastically re-orientating the poem towards modernity. Translated with the first-time reader in mind, this version of Lucretius will captivate and astound those with no experience of Latin or of poetry, and bring Lucretius and his ideas to life.