Aside from the well-known plays of Aristophanes, many of the comedies of ancient Greece are known only through fragments and references written in Greek. Now a group of distinguished scholars brings these nearly lost works to modern readers with lively English translations of the surviving texts.

The Birth of Comedy brings together a wealth of information on the first three generations of Western comedy. The translations, presented in chronological order, are based on the universally praised scholarly edition in Greek, Poetae Comici Graeci, by R. Kassel and C. A. Austin. Additional chapters contain translations of texts relating to comedy at dramatic festivals, staging, audience, and ancient writers on comedy. The main text is supplemented by an introduction assessing the fragments' contributions to the political, social, and theatrical history of classical Athens and more than forty illustrations of comic scenes, costumes, and masks. A glossary of komoidoumenoi―the ancient word for "people mentioned in comedies"―provides background information on the most notorious comic victims. A full index includes not only authors, play titles, and persons mentioned, but themes from the whole Greek comic sphere (including politics, literature and philosophy, celebrities and social scandals, cookery and wine, sex, and wealth).

About the Authors

Jeffrey Rusten is a professor of classics at Cornell University.

Jeffrey Henderson is the William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of Greek Language and Literature at Boston University.

David Konstan is a professor of classics at New York University.

Ralph Rosen is the Vartan Gregorian Professor of the Humanities and Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Niall W. Slater is the Dobbs Professor of Latin and Greek at Emory University.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Librairie �ditoriale des Belles Lettres et sp�cialis�e sur l'Antiquit� (tous �diteurs confondus), nous proposons depuis 1926 un choix exigeant et international de publications concernant les textes bilingues, les essais d'histoire et de civilisation et la philosophie des p�riodes anciennes.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

Soci�t� d'�dition Les Belles Lettres
95 bd Raspail, Paris, 75006, France

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Articles neufs, ni repris ni �chang�s.

Shipping Terms

Les commandes sont g�n�ralement exp�di�es sous deux jours pour la France, au maximum sous une semaine. Entre 3 et 10 jours pour l'�tranger. Nous accordons un soin tout particulier � l'emballage, r�sistant et appropri�. Nous accompagnons nos envois de marque-pages et de catalogues d'�diteurs suivant les disponibilit�s du moment.
Vous pouvez retrouver tous les livres vendus en ligne directement dans notre boutique parisienne, 95 bd Raspail, Paris 6e.

Shipping rates from France to U.S.A.

Shipping rates from France to U.S.A.
Order quantity	21 to 30 business days	10 to 21 business days
First item	US$ 40.50	US$ 57.86

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.