Selected Satires of Lucian

by Lucian of Samosata and Lionel Casson

Book Overview

Lucian, born in Syria in the second century C.E., came to Greece at an early age and mastered its language and literature. He took up law, left it for public speaking, then turned to full-time writing, producing the wide range of subject matter and literary form which is represented in this collection.

A master of the vivid scene, Lucian used his pungent style to ridicule the tyrants, prophets, waning gods, and hypocrite philosophers of his...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393004430
• ISBN13: 9780393004434
• Release Date: April 1968
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 398 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.9" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A beauty contest in Antiquity.

Lucian lived in the 2nd century A.C. He was a travelling orator. In those days people liked to listen to the witful language skills of those orators. Their speeches served no purpose, it was only meant to show off and to amuse. Besides his work as an orator, Lucian wrote a lot of 'Dialogues' or 'Satires', a kind of conversation in which he mocked several aspects of the society in those days. The most famous are 'Dialogues of the Gods', 'Dialogues of the Dead' and 'Dialogues of the courtesans'. One of my favourite satires is 'The judgement of Paris'(from Dialogues of the Gods). Athena, Hera and Aphrodite want Paris to decide which of them is the most beautiful goddess. In the manners of a real beauty contest, the three goddesses try to sell their merchandise to Paris. Finally he chooses Aphrodite and in return she promises that the most beautiful woman on earth, Helen, will be his.(It will start the Trojan War but that's another matter). If you read this book you will have a good idea of what the people in Antiquity called humour

"A Fine Selection of the Great Satirist's Works"

Lucian, the second century (AD) satirist from Syria, was a master storyteller with a peculiar talent for wit and sarcasm. He had a profound impact upon Desiderius Erasmus' writings, such as the "Praise of Folly" and the "Colloquies." Even St Thomas More was greatly indebted to Lucian, whose works More translated and admired. These works are a collection of short stories in narrative and dialogue form. They are very telling of life in the second century of our era, pointing mostly to the philosophical and religious milieu of the Hellenistic world. He attacks sophists and displays his disdain for the priests of the Mystery Cults through the use fierce rhetorical invective. The dialogues with the gods, also, are entertaining bits of literary genius, which will be useful to anyone seeking knowledge of the personality and background of the traditional gods of the Hellenistic world. The Norton edition of Lucian's satires is authoritative, reliable, and will ultimately be a prize for anyone interested in the literature of classical times