Ancient Greek Literature

Hawthorne scrisse due libri, Il libro dele meraviglie e il mondo delle meraviglie, indirizzati a ragazzi in età scolare, in cui raccontava con linguaggio semplice e moderno i miti greci più famosi.

In this spellbinding new collection, Charlotte Higgins reinterprets some of the most enduring stories of all time. Here are myths of the creation, of Heracles and Theseus and Perseus, the Trojan war and its origins and aftermaths, tales of Thebes and Argos and Athens. There are stories of love and desire, adventure and magic, destructive gods, helpless humans, fantastical creatures, resourceful witches and the origins of birds and animals.

After finally winning the decade-long war against the Trojans, Odysseus, captain of the Greek army, only has to guide his men back home across the sea. Yet the journey will prove just as perilous as the battles they have just won, as they encounter the monstrous, man-eating cyclops, the irresistible song of the siren, and the wrath of an angry Poseidon, god of the sea. Are he and his men destined to die at sea? Or can Odysseus's cunning, strength, and courage bring them safely home?

Patrick Hunt's Myths for All Time presents twelve of the most timeless Greek myths retold in an affable, succinct fashion. These twelve myths, which have survived through the millennia, are made applicable today through Hunt's emphasis on the overriding message of each story. With foundations in ancient Greek scholarship, society, and philosophy, these stories have grown and taken new forms and thus remain relevant.

Eumenes lived in the shadows of conquerers - Philip and Alexander the Great - until he rose up to claim his own title. He was one of the many who grappled for power in the wake of Alexander's sudden death. Dive into his life and the machinations behind the thrones of ancient Greece and Egypt. Will Eumenes be victorious, claiming a crown of his own, or will he fall prey to the wiles of others?

This small handbook of the theory and practice of Stoic philosophy has become one of the most influential of all texts from the ancient world. It has been a source of inspiration to rulers, philosophers, and social theorists, and its cogent prescriptions about the management of one's personal life can be applied with great benefit in the hectic and confused world of today.

In The Children of Jocasta, Natalie Haynes retells the Oedipus and Antigone myths to reveal a new side of an ancient story.... My siblings and I have grown up in a cursed house, children of cursed parents.... Jocasta is just 15 when she is told that she must marry the King of Thebes, an old man she has never met. Her life has never been her own, and nor will it be unless she outlives her strange, absent husband.

Before Hercules found his might and Odysseus went on his Odyssey, there was Icarus, the hero that time forgot. All roads lead to the Labyrinth. That's what 12-year-old Icarus realizes when he learns that King Minos plans to sacrifice his father, Daedalus, and all the mythical creatures in Ancient Greece to the Minotaur. It's up to Icarus and some unlikely heroes to save the world.

Epaminondas was known better for his way with words than his way with a sword. He used his wits on the battlefield to lead armies and took the honor of himself and his men most seriously. Nepos here admires the Theban orator who could out-speak any Athenian.

On the plain between the Greek fleet and the Trojan walls, heroes clash in a decade of epic contests. This is Homer's classical poem "Illiad", recomposed as prose for Children. The events of the story occur over several weeks in the 10th and final year of the war.

It’s festival time in Athens, and Philocles is looking forward to the holiday. Visitors are coming from across the Hellenic world for eight days of sporting competitions, musical contests and sacred rites to honour Athena, the city’s patron goddess. Thousands will flock to the Pnyx to be enthralled by three-day performance of Homer’s Iliad, an entertainment unique to the Great Panathenaia. Taking part is the highest honour and greatest challenge for an epic poet.

Several of the best-loved Roman myths are gathered in this one beautiful abridged collection, from “Romulus and Remus” (which tells how Rome came to be) to “Cupid and Psyche”, “Oedipus and the Sphinx”, and more.

Thirteen-year-old Talon is in trouble...again. He didn’t mean to burn down the school library. It just happened. Things like that always happen to Talon. His life is a mixture of the weird and bizarre. No one else he knows can shoot fire from their hands or cause an earthquake...but he can. Every night the same dream haunts Talon: the destruction of an underwater city. He hasn’t a clue what it means but he feels like fate is trying to warn him.

Phaeton is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman, and his heart's desire is to be seen but once driving his father's chariot, the one used by the god to make the sun travel in the sky. This myth is an ageless story of failure at the hands of pride, similar to that of Icarus. It is a fundamental part of Greek mythology and of modern culture. This short story is a retelling of the myth in great detail and with an elegant style that will edify children and adults alike.

428 BCE. Athens is roiling with intrigue about Pericles’ successor. Were it days ago, Timarcus would be at its center. But Kore has unexpectedly returned to him after seven years of separation and he is once again besotted. But as quickly as she has returned, she is gone, struck down by Apollo’s gentle arrow. Yet if it was a natural death, why can he not feel her presence as his beliefs promise?

"Aesop's Fables" is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece around the fifth century BC. These fables are charming stories, each one leading towards a wise moral. They have been the inspiration for La Fontaine, one of the greatest French writers of all time, and are a perfect tool for educating young children as well as a delight for lovers of elegance and simplicity.

A collection of four great listens that explore the life and legends of ancient Greece. Hours of audio fun to keep children entertained while on the move! Immerse your children in the fascinating world of ancient Greece with three classic Greek myths, written especially for children, and one non-fiction history about the ancient Greeks.

For over 600 years, Darius of Agremon has fought wars on behalf of those who needed his skills in combat. As a lechagos on Strongili, he spends his days commanding the Minoan coastguardsmen against pirates and marauders. His nights are spent alone, for despite having had wives in the past, he has watched them all grow old and die, childless, as he continues to live.

When 12-year-old Rhianna and her younger sister, Eleri, are thrown out of their home by their cruel stepmother, they must find food and shelter. Appealing to King Prasutagus in the name of the goddess Morrigan, they are rejected - but then Queen Boudica takes them into her household. As Rhianna settles into this new life, she learns that there's not only kindness in Boudica - there's a darkness waiting to be unleashed, and the Romans will suffer for their crimes against her. A great battle is looming....

The second volume in the trilogy that re-envisions Homer's Odyssey is once again told from the viewpoint of Alexi, the young Trojan boy. Captured by Odysseus after the fall of Troy, Alexi is forced to accompany the Greeks on their sea journey home to Ithaca. Cursed by the Sea God contains many of the iconic adventures of the homeward journey, including the encounter with the keeper of the winds, the descent into Hades, the fateful visit to the cannibal Laestrygonians and many more.