"A valuable corrective . . . in [a] brash, freewheeling style. . . . Lively. . . . Critchley's inquiry offers many surprises, but most unexpected is his interest in the Greek sophists." --
James Romm, The New York Review of Books "A striking portrayal of Greek tragedy . . . a well-pitched and paced primer, which is fun to read"--
The Times Literary Supplement "A thrill . . . riveting . . . A rather intoxicating dance with words, ideas, texts, the vortex of the life of the mind in the world, and perhaps beyond it. Critchley is an authoritative reader, and, though not a classicist, he proves an erudite, scholarly guide through layers of myth, reason, history and their interpretation, and overall a truly beguiling one . . . Often reminiscent of Arendt, Adorno or even Levinas, verbally affluent, muscular and provocative . . . He is a particularly gifted wordsmith, an astute orator, a shrewd and learned disputant. Those who encounter tragedy for the first time on the pages of his book will not fail to be bewitched."
--Bookanista "Stirring . . . Refreshing . . . Irreverent . . Critchley writes with laudable directness and erudition"
--NPR
"Substantial introductory material on tragedy and ancient philosophy; it is energetic, engaging and thought-provoking without too much abstraction and with just enough detail to add flavor . . . t has something of the chatty vigor of a successful seminar discussion. . . infectiously enthusiastic . . . genuinely invigorating . . ."
--New Statesman "Frank, personal readings of hallowed plots, including Euripides' "Trojan Women" and Aeschylus' Oresteia."
--The New Yorker "Critchley finds a perspective on tragedy open to its revelatory and transformative power. Readers feel that power as they probe the dazzling words and tempestuous emotions in the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and--above all--Euripides. . . Postmodern philosophy collides with ancient drama, generating the heat of passion, the sparks of illumination."--
Booklist [starred] "[An] intelligent, rigorous book. Dedicated readers will have the sense of being at a thoughtful scholar's side as he works through an intractable intellectual problem."--
Publishers Weekly "An erudite reconsideration of Greek tragedy. . . For students of Greek drama, a revelatory contemplation of the theater's enduring power. "--
Kirkus Reviews "Combining a thorough knowledge of Attic drama, fluency with the scholarly literature, and an engaging wit, Critchley's treatment is sophisticated yet accessible to thoughtful general readers."--
Library Journal "Engaging and congenial . . .
[Tragedy, The Greeks and Us] makes the cogent, compelling argument that we ignore Greek Tragedy at our own peril."
--New York Journal of Books