Aristophanes's satirical masterpieces, immensely popular with the Athenian public, were frequently crude, even obscene. His plays revealed to his contemporaries, and now teach us today, that when those in power act obscenely, patriotic obscenity is a fitting response. Until now English translations have failed to capture Aristophanes's poetic genius. Aaron Poochigian, the first poet-classicist to tackle these plays in a generation, offers "effortlessly readable and genuinely theatrical" (Simon Armitage) versions of four of Aristophanes's most entertaining, provocative and lyrically ingenious comedies, finally giving twenty-first-century readers a sense of the subversive pleasure audiences felt when these works were first performed on the Athenian stage.

About the Author
Aristophanes was the most celebrated comic playwright in fifth-century BCE Athens. Aaron Poochigian has published four books of poetry and several translations, including Aristophanes: Four Plays (2021). He lives in New York City.


Book Information
ISBN 9781324091561
Author Aristophanes
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 334g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 28mm