Edith Hall Boeken

Focusing on the often-overlooked experiences of working-class individuals, this book delves into how the classical past shaped their lives in Britain and Ireland from the late 17th to early 20th centuries. It highlights the exclusion of their voices from traditional classical scholarship and education, offering a fresh perspective on the impact of classical studies on diverse societal groups.

An award-winning classicist turns to Greek tragedies for the wisdom to understand the damage caused by suicide and help those who are contemplating suicide themselves

Love and loyalty, hatred and revenge, fear, deprivation, and political ambition: these are the motives which thrust the characters portrayed in these three Sophoclean masterpieces on to their collision course with catastrophe. Recognized in his own day as perhaps the greatest of the Greek tragedians, Sophocles's reputation has remained undimmed for two and a half thousand years. His greatest innovation in the tragic medium was his development of a central tragic figure, faced with a test of will and character, risking obloquy and death rather than compromise his or her principles: it is striking that Antigone and Electra both have a woman as their intransigent `hero'. Antigone dies rather than neglect her duty to her family, Oedipus's determination to save his city results in the horrific discovery that he has committed both incest and parricide, and Electra's unremitting anger at her mother and her lover keeps her in servitude and despair. These vivid translations combine elegance and modernity, and are equally suitable for reading or theatrical performance.

`Wonderful and timely ... Hugely recommended' STEPHEN FRYWhat do you and an ancient philosopher have in common? Aristotle's way is not to apply rules - it's about engaging with the texture of existence, and striding purposefully towards a life well lived.

Who were the ancient Greeks? They gave us democracy, philosophy, poetry, rational science, the joke. But what was it that enabled them to achieve so much? The ancient Greeks were a geographically disparate people whose civilization lasted over twenty centuries - and that made us who we are today. And here Edith Hall gives us a revelatory way of viewing this scattered people, identifying ten unique personality traits that she shows to be unique and central to the widespread ancient Greeks. Hall introduces a people who are inquisitive, articulate and open-minded but also rebellious, individualistic, competitive and hedonistic. They prize excellence above all things but love to laugh. And, central to their identity, they are seafarers whose relationship with the sea underpins every aspect of their society. Expertly researched and elegantly told, this indispensable introduction unveils a civilization of incomparable richness and a people of astounding complexity.

Von der Kraft und Faszination der griechischen Antike Sie waren die Erfinder der Demokratie, Begründer der Philosophie, Schöpfer unsterblicher Mythen – doch was genau war das Erfolgsgeheimnis der antiken Griechen und was verbindet uns mit ihnen? Edith Hall, Professorin am Londoner King’s College und eine der weltweit profiliertesten Altertumsforscherinnen, untersucht zehn Charaktereigenschaften, die allen griechischen Völkern gemeinsam waren. Über die Jahrtausende hinweg lernen wir so die wissbegierigen, humorvollen wie kompetitiven Menschen kennen, die als Seefahrer in neue Gebiete vorstießen, sich im Wettkampf in Olympia oder im Redegefecht maßen. Wir erfahren, was die Griechen dachten und fühlten, über welche Witze sie lachten – und es entsteht eine ebenso farbige wie kurzweilig-moderne Geschichte, die uns den Mythen und Göttern, Helden und Menschen so nahe bringt wie nie.