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by Hésiode (Author), Theognis (Author), Dorothea Wender (Translator)
Together these two poets--Hesiod, the epic poet, and Theognis, the elegist--offer a superb introduction to the life and thought of ancient Greece.
Hesiod's Theogony is a primitive creation of myth: it contains all the elements of a story--dark forces, sex and violence--but can also be read as philosophical speculation of a high order, and it soars to religious heights in its hymns. In contrast, his Works and Days, also included in this volume, is an intriguing combination of agricultural advice, moral maxims, social and political comment and superstitious lore. Theognis, the savage and suspicious author of many short elegaic poems, writing some two centuries later than Hesiod, ranges from serious theological questioning to satire and intensely personal love lyrics, and reflects the moods and themes of an aristocratic poet who mourned a changing Greek society. Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Author Biography
Very little is known about Hesiod and it cannot definitely be proved that the same man wrote both the Theogony and Works and Days. He probably lived in the eighth century BC (contemporary with Homer) in Boeotia on the Greek mainland.
Theognis lived and wrote chiefly in the sixth century BC. He came from Megara, probably the one on the Greek mainland, and was an aristocrat. There was a popular revolution, in which he lost his status and possibly his money. He appears to have been exiled and might have moved to Megara in Sicily. He had a friend called Kurnos, the son of Polypaos, an aristocrat like himself. to whom he wrote numerous poems. Dorothea Schmidt Wender was born in 1934 in Ohio and graduated from Radcliffe College, and then went to the University of Minnesota and Harvard University. She has been Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Classics at Wheaton College, Massachusetts. Her publications include book reviews and scholarly articles.
Number of Pages: 176
Dimensions: 0.43 x 7.73 x 5.07 IN
Publication Date: August 26, 1976
