Love, Sex & Tragedy: How the Ancient World Shapes Our Lives - Hardcover

Goldhill, Simon

3.76

202 ratings by Goodreads

9780719555497: Love, Sex & Tragedy: How the Ancient World Shapes Our Lives

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0719555493 ISBN 13: 9780719555497

Publisher: John Murray, 2004

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We seem to be living through a Classical renaissance. Gladiator was a global phenomenon, and a clutch of classical films are now being made in Hollywood. Greek tragedies are staged the world over. Millions of primetime viewers watched Channel 4's 'The Spartans'. Valerio Massimo Manfredi's Alexander trilogy was a huge bestseller.

But the Greeks and Romans do not just offer great entertainment. LOVE, SEX AND TRAGEDY reveals how the influence of the ancient world can be seen throughout the modern world.

Democracy and spin, diets and the gym, marriage and sex all play their part. No other book brings together the ancient and modern so inspiringly and provocatively. Part Alain de Botton, part Will Hutton, LOVE, SEX AND TRAGEDY is an essential guide to our lives today.

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Review:

Goldhill writes with breezy wit in a style accessible to readers who did not grow up on Plato and Tacitus. This can disguise the fact that his intent is deadly serious ... As this brilliant book demonstrates, a familiarity with the ancient world is about much more than a life in ruins. (JOan Smith, The Independent)

It's great, and great fun ... a sparkling, erudite and amusing remedy for our collective historical amnesia (Zadie Smith, Author of White Teeth )

It's great, and great fun ... the kind of book you find yourself reading out to your other half as you go along ... A sparkling, erudite and amusing remedy for our collective historical amnesia (Zadie Smith)

Passionate, witty and broad-ranging ... Goldhill skilfully overturns and amends our existing beliefs (The Observer)

Enjoyable and lively (Emily Wilson, Times Literary Supplement)

Wide-ranging and challenging ... varied and unpredictable ... enterprising ... There cannot be many people who will not acquire new knowledge and have their thoughts keenly provoked ... confident, intelligent and assertive (The Guardian)

Simon Goldhill reminds us in Love, Sex & Tragedy of how Greek representations of the body beautiful, architecture and ideas of philosophy and democracy still influence us today. (New Scientist)

Confident, intelligent and assertive... he draws many telling lessons (Oliver Taplin, The Guardian Weekly)

In this accessible, non-academic yet highly informative work Goldhill weaves expertly through a whole host of contemporary phobias and nightmares, pleasures and dreams to demonstrate the social, political and personal debts we owe to the Greeks. (The Scotsman)

As this brilliant book demonstrates, a familiarity with the ancient world is about much more than a life in ruins. (Joan Smith, Independent)