Peter Green (historian)
Encyclopedia
Peter Green is a British
classical scholar noted for his works on Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age of ancient history, generally regarded as spanning the era from the death of Alexander in 323 BC up to either the date of the Battle of Actium
or the death of Augustus
in 14 AD. Green's most famous books are Alexander of Macedon, a historical biography first issued in 1970, then in a revised and expanded edition in 1974, which was first published in the United States in 1991; his Alexander to Actium, a general account of the Hellenistic Age, and other works.
He is also the author of a translation of the Satires of the Roman poet Juvenal
.
Green served with the Royal Air Force in Burma. In Firpo's Bar in Calcutta he met and became friendly with another future novelist, Paul Scott, who later used elements of Green's character for the figure of Sergeant Guy Perron in The Raj Quartet
.
After the war, Green attended Trinity College
of Cambridge University
. He subsequently wrote historical novel
s and worked as a journalist
. In 1963 he and his family moved to the Greek
island of Lesbos
, where he was a translator, and then to Athens
, where he was recruited to teach classics for the College Year in Athens.
Green taught in Athens from 1966 to 1971, and at the University of Texas at Austin
, where he is a Dougherty Centennial Professor Emeritus of Classics. He is now an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa
.
Green also has a visiting professorship at East Carolina University.
Bob Dylan
used Green's translations of Ovid
, found in The Erotic Poems (1982) and The Poems of Exile: Tristia and the Black Sea Letters (1994) as song lyrics on the albums "Love and Theft" (2001) and Modern Times
(2006).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
classical scholar noted for his works on Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age of ancient history, generally regarded as spanning the era from the death of Alexander in 323 BC up to either the date of the Battle of Actium
Battle of Actium
The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium, at the Roman...
or the death of Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
in 14 AD. Green's most famous books are Alexander of Macedon, a historical biography first issued in 1970, then in a revised and expanded edition in 1974, which was first published in the United States in 1991; his Alexander to Actium, a general account of the Hellenistic Age, and other works.
He is also the author of a translation of the Satires of the Roman poet Juvenal
Juvenal
The Satires are a collection of satirical poems by the Latin author Juvenal written in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD.Juvenal is credited with sixteen known poems divided among five books; all are in the Roman genre of satire, which, at its most basic in the time of the author, comprised a...
.
Biography
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Green served with the Royal Air Force in Burma. In Firpo's Bar in Calcutta he met and became friendly with another future novelist, Paul Scott, who later used elements of Green's character for the figure of Sergeant Guy Perron in The Raj Quartet
Raj Quartet
The Raj Quartet is a four-volume novel sequence, written by Paul Scott, about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. The series was written during the period 1965–75. The Times called it "one of the most important landmarks of post-war fiction."The story of The Raj Quartet begins...
.
After the war, Green attended Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
of Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He subsequently wrote historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
s and worked as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. In 1963 he and his family moved to the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island of Lesbos
Lesbos Island
Lesbos is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with 320 kilometres of coastline, making it the third largest Greek island. It is separated from Turkey by the narrow Mytilini Strait....
, where he was a translator, and then to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, where he was recruited to teach classics for the College Year in Athens.
Green taught in Athens from 1966 to 1971, and at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, where he is a Dougherty Centennial Professor Emeritus of Classics. He is now an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
Green also has a visiting professorship at East Carolina University.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
used Green's translations of Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, found in The Erotic Poems (1982) and The Poems of Exile: Tristia and the Black Sea Letters (1994) as song lyrics on the albums "Love and Theft" (2001) and Modern Times
Modern Times
Modern Times can refer to modern history.It may also refer to:* Modern Times , a 1936 Charlie Chaplin film* Modern Times , a 1975 album by Al Stewart...
(2006).
Works
- Expanding Eye - A First Journey To The Mediterranean (1952) Illustrated with photographs.
- Habeas Corpus And Other Stories (1954) Eight Short Stories
- Achilles His Armour (1955) (historical novel about AlcibiadesAlcibiadesAlcibiades, son of Clinias, from the deme of Scambonidae , was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last famous member of his mother's aristocratic family, the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War...
and the Peloponnesian WarPeloponnesian WarThe Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
). - Cat in Gloves (Under pseudonym Denis Delaney) (1956), Gryphon Books
- The Sword of Pleasure (1957) (fictional memoirs of Sulla)
- Kenneth Grahame: A Biography: The Dramatic and Human Story of the Fascinating and Complex Man Who Wrote The Wind in the Willows (1959)
- Writers & their Work - Sir Thomas Browne (1959) Longman for the British Council
- Writers & their Work - John Skelton (1960) Longman for the British Council
- Essays in Antiquity (1960)
- The Laughter of Aphrodite: A Novel About Sappho of Lesbos (1965)
- The Year of Salamis, 480-479 BC (1970) (UK) = Xerxes at Salamis (1970) (USA)
- Alexander the Great (1970)
- The Shadow of the Parthenon: Studies in Ancient History and Literature (1972)
- The Parthenon (1973)
- A Concise History of Ancient Greece to the Close of the Classical Era (1973)
- Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.; A Historical Biography (1974; reissue in U.S., 1991, as indicated below)
- Ancient Greece: An Illustrated History (1979)
- The Erotic Poems (1982)
- Classical Bearings: Interpreting Ancient History and Culture (1989)
- Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age (1990)
- Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography (1991)
- Andrei Tarkovsky: The Winding Quest (1993)
- The Argonautica by Apollonios Rhodios (translation)(1997)
- The Greco-Persian Wars (1996) (update of The Year of Salamis)
- From Ikaria to the Stars: Classical Mythification, Ancient and Modern (2004)
- The Poems of Exile: Tristia and the Black Sea Letters (2004)
- The Poems of Catullus (2005)
- Alexander The Great and the Hellenistic Age (2007)
- The Hellenistic Age: A Short History (2007)
Book Reviews
- "The Women and the Gods" The New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
54/11 (28 June 2007) : 32-35 [reviews Joan Breton ConnellyJoan Breton ConnellyJoan Breton Connelly is an American classical archaeologist and Professor of Classics and Art History at New York University. She is Director of the Yeronisos Island Excavations and Field School in Cyprus. Connelly was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1996...
, Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece]
External links
- 2003 interview, with picture
- List of Green's contributions to The New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...