Description
Book SynopsisMary R. Lefkowitz has extensively revised and rewritten her classic study to introduce a new generation of students to the lives of the Greek poets. Thoroughly updated with references to the most recent scholarship, this second edition includes new material and fresh analysis of the ancient biographies of Greece's most famous poets. With little or no independent historical information to draw on, ancient writers searched for biographical data in the poets' own works and in comic poetry about them. Lefkowitz describes how biographical mythology was created and offers a sympathetic account of how individual biographers reconstructed the poets' lives. She argues that the life stories of Greek poets, even though primarily fictional, still merit close consideration, as they provide modern readers with insight into ancient notions about the creative process and the purpose of poetic composition.
Trade ReviewThis second edition is enriched by references to recent studies as well as by deeper analysis. * L'Antiquité Classique (Bloomsbury translation) *
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Hesiod Homer Eight Archaic Poets Solon Simonides Pindar Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides Comic Poets Hellenistic Poets Conclusion Abbreviations Bibliography Notes Index
