Les dieux de l'Olympe

by Menelaos Stephanides

A special pocket-book version of the Greek mythology which has achieved worldwide recognition. Designed exclusively for adults and young readers.

The reader will re-live all the magic of Greek mythology on a journey of the imagination which will take him deep into an era separated from our own by more than three millenia.

This series of books received the 1989 Pier Paolo Vergerio prizes of the University of Padua for its outstanding text and illustrations.

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics

253 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

Menelaos Stephanides, the author of ‘Greek Mythology’, originally studied economics in Athens but his main preoccupation was writing.

For more than twenty-five years he concentrated, with great success, on the retelling of ancient Greek myths, tirelessly studying the source materials to achieve his literary version of the many stories. Working with his brother, the artist and illustrator Yannis Stephanides, he wrote and published the 18-volume series ‘Greek Mythology’ for children, which was translated into several languages and later reissued as a pocket book for older readers. He then turned his attention to more recent Greek tradition, studying hundreds of folk tales the most appealing of which he retold in the highly successful 10-volume series ‘Folk Tales from Greece’.

Menelaos Stephanides’ name is now familiar in many parts of the world, thanks to the translation of both his mythology and the folk tales into several foreign languages. In 1989 his book ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ was awarded two Pier Paolo Vergerio honourable distinctions by the University of Padua, while in 1998 his entire published work was recommended by the Hellenic Ministry of Education for inclusion in school libraries, having already long been recognised as a source of reference for publishers, the reading public and educationalists.

Reviews

[ReadingisFUN · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book in my trip to Greece...it was like a compulsive thing I bought because I have a problem with buying books...I never thought that I would enjoy so much this book! It is a nice way to learn about the Greek Gods in a simple but yet very informative way! The book is divided in a lot of parts! Mainly they are divided by the 12 olympian Gods,And each chapter tells about the God and stories that have to do with them...they were very interesting and well I thought I knew a lot about this Gods...but I was wrong because I have learned a lot with this book! My favourite chapter was the one from Athena...because I really love this goddess and they had to do with Athens...and I could remember more about my trip which was one of the best experiences I had in my life! I totally recommend this boom it is the best! It has become one of my favourite books! Hope one day I can go again to the Acropolis and buy other books from the Stephanides Brothers!

[Elze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goed boek met duidelijk, kort overzicht van de Griekse goden, aanrader voor iedereen die een intro tot Griekse mythes wil!

[Kristi Einberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. This book is SO SO BEAUTIFUL.

My grandma has one other book from the same author and illustrator. Have always LOVED those
illustrations. I love Greek mythology and even though i have read same stories again and again, i still love them. There's just something about Greek mythology ...
This book is written beautifully.

[Youri Giedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Griekse mythologie, mooi en begrijpelijk geschreven. Heel leuk om te lezen over al hun dingen. Henkie

[Madeleine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and understand. A little simplistic at points but enjoyable enough.

[Ashlyn Cordas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good way to learn about Greek gods when you didn’t have much knowledge before.

[nês ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5
(faltavam-me 30 páginas) foi fixe overall, um niquinho boring mas foi nice. É fixe os mitos estarem todos compilados

[Keith Blakemore-Noble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve long been fascinated by Greek mythology, so this series is ideal!
Unfortunately this first book was in parts a bit of a slog - it read more like a dry reference book listing facts and places rather than exploring the rich and deep tapestry of the stories.

Fortunately I read one of the later books first (they are all self-contained in some respects) and do I know the style gets better.

[Rine Bekkelund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interessant og skikkelig bra skrevet, har oppsummert alt på en oversiktlig måte og lærte overraskende mye om språk. Veldig mange ord vi har i dag kommer fra gresk mytologi, er skikkelig spennende!! #nerd

[Amanda Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a museum gift shop in Athens. It's hard not to become fascinated by these powerful, human-like beings that were believed to create and rule the world! The book was a simple compilation of the myth of Chaos, the world under the rule of the Titans, and the origins of the 12 gods of Olympus with their most widespread myths. Even though the stories are simplified, I think this book is an excellent introduction to understanding the significance of each god and allows the reader to decide which myths they might be interested in diving deeper into. I also think that this book is generally child-friendly since the myths are "PG-fied", so it could be a fun read for most ages. I am glad I bought this book.

[Maria João · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following a popular series of books on Greek mythology aimed for a younger audience, this pocketbook edition is a reissue designed for adults. By no means is it a dense reading, quite the opposite: it is a light overview of the Greek myths behind the beginning of the Universe and the Olympus, all neatly organised in separate chapters per each of the 12 Olympian Gods. Each chapter provides the story on how each God came to be, and some myths associated with the God’s feats, whether benevolent or cruel. Small but packed with information, this book is a good summary for anyone who would like an introduction to the most famous Gods of Ancient Greece.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

this particular edition was adorable and pocket-sized - one of the reasons why I immediately bought it at a tiny souvenir shop in Epidavros. it has beautiful illustrations sprinkled throughout the book (which I wish were coloured too! but oh well), the stories and their tellings were interesting and detailed enough to give the reader a good overview of each myth without going too in-depth.

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

Never refuse a stranger water or the warmth of a fire. Never point out any way but the right one. Deny no man a grave. Never kill the ox which draws the plough.

[Julia Masterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute reference book of some of my favorite myths. Had a fun time rereading them in a sort of fairytale style and will enjoy flipping open this book to look back on them in the future. Not super detailed or in depth (but it doesn’t advertise that it will be) and although there are some nice poetic lines I felt like if the author wanted to he could’ve really made the writing more lyrical or mystical which I would’ve enjoyed more (but again it was advertised to be a simple retelling so not a very justified critique on my part).

[Scar Galactic · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 3.5 star book! I bought this book whilst I was in Greece seeing that I had finished the book I was reading on that trip, and it was quite informative. I did kind of lose interest after a bit, but I still enjoyed learning more about the gods. Certainly considering to get other books of this series.

[Tiina Tubli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought it and read it while visiting Athens. Perfect book for easy reading over a cup of coffee in the center of Athens or by the temples of all them gods. Also recommended for forgetful people like me who have no recordings of primary school history lessons about Greek gods :))

[Sara Passarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it, the simple way myths are explained it's great and fascinating. More if you have bought this book directly in the Acropolis' shop! Anyway, sad they haven't talk about Dionysus and Hades.

[Esmee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute boekje, heel leuk geschreven. Ik ben nog steeds blij dat ik dit in Griekenland had gekocht, het is echt een leuke en een makkelijk verwoorde samenvatting van de verhalen van de belangrijkste goden uit de Griekse oudheid.

[Maarten Stet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read this book for 5 months now, but it was just hard for me to get through it. They explained it really well, but it wasn’t with much humor like Stephen Fry’s mythology books. They were telling the story, and that was what I expected.

[Lyndon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and good intro to greek mythology

[Maria Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

La storia della mitologia greca in versione semplificata, un libricino davvero gradevole.

[Yuri Morais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não fala nada da parte simbólica dos mitos.

[Michala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so easy to read and understand.

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Greek mythology, perfect little introduction to it. And a lovely souvenir from Athens.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a cute, quick book but I’ve heard better translations of some of the myths in it particularly that of Arachne and Athena.

[pigayle · Rating 2 out of 5]

super rebebartif j’en ai marre

[Bo Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this in Greece to find out more about the famous mythology. Was a super interesting read and written quite well

[Iñaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una introducción fácil de leer y divertida a la mitología griega (continuará).

[soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little account of some of the main myths of the Olympians, and I like the little imbedded life lessons like ‘war/ deforestation is bad’, very well written for both children and adults

[Dean Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Kyriam Lachapelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it because I went to Greece and wanted to learn more but otherwise I’m not sure I would recommend.