Theogony; Works and Days; [and] Shield [Paperback]

Hesiod (Author), Apostolos N. Athanassakis (Editor, Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0801829992 | ISBN-13: 978-0801829994 | Publication Date: October 1, 1983

Hesiod belongs to the transitional period in Greek civilization.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The translations in themselves have the pleasing flow, sound, rhythm, and idiom of good English poetry even though... they follow the original Greek text line by line and adhere closely to its literal meaning." -- Choice

Review

The translations in themselves have the pleasing flow, sound, rhythm, and idiom of good English poetry even though... they follow the original Greek text line by line and adhere closely to its literal meaning.

(Choice )

Athanassakis provides a readable and stimulating English version... [and] displays a good command of Hesiodic scholarship.

(Peter L. Smith Echos du Monde Classique/Classical Views )

Athanassakis's notes are informative and interesting, full of cross references to the ancient sources and comparisons to Biblical, Norse, and other sources. His anthropological interest includes and indeed highlights modern Greece... I found his translation of epithets refreshing and intriguing.

(Allan Wooley New England Classical Newsletter ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (October 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801829992
• ISBN-13: 978-0801829994
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,084,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hear and see, O Zeus! Let your decrees be straight, December 16, 2006

By 

Steve Jackson "stevejackson100atyahoocom" (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, Shield (Paperback)

There are many editions of Hesiod's (c. 700 BC) works, but I find this one by Prof. Apostolos Athanassakis the best. While I can't comment on the translation, the introduction to Hesiod, the introduction to the individual works, the extensive notes as well as the size of the type and the margins make it the most useful. For example, the notes not only explain the text, but discuss parallel ideas from the Bible, literature from other ancient cultures, and even remnants in contemporary Greek folk lore.

This edition also contains The Shield, a poem no longer considered by Hesiod and probably dated a 100 or so years later than Hesiod's poems.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to Live Your Life and Prosper: The Ancient Greek Way, January 21, 2011

By 

michael mcgreevy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, Shield (Paperback)

Why are the works of Hesiod placed in comparable rank with those of Homer by the ancient Greeks, the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey? On the surface the latter two works seemed to stand head and shoulders above any others from the ancient Greeks including Hesiod.

Although much slimmer (only 107 pages) than the works of Homer, his works represented for the ancient Greeks a fat repository of common sense information and advice on everyday economy and success. "Theogony" gave the Greeks information on the natural world and the roles and works of the Gods in that world. "Works and Days" supplemented that information by providing sound economic advice to those engaged in labor in the fields of agriculture and the international/intercity trade. In sum, they were "everything you need to know to live a happy and prosperous life" in Greece. In a nutshell, its message was clear: to succeed you must be mindful or the Gods, honor them, and work hard.

You could say that Hesiod was what Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, Wayne Dyer and Joel Osteen are to us today.

So read this book if you want to "get into the heads" of everyday ancient Greeks and see what mattered to them at the time, and what advice they respected. You may be surprised that the Greeks are not that dissimilar to you after all.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Translation, June 10, 2011

By 

mercifulmaenad - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, Shield (Paperback)

I love this version of Hesiod. I had to get it for a class but I reference the poetry and symbolism constantly. It includes all the gritty things the original did for the most part (unlike the cleaned-up versions in Edith Hamilton's Mythology). So nice to get a relatively un-edited, exciting translation. Well worth it if you need the classics!