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A narrative of the 76th Olympiad in Greece in the year 476 BC, when the Hellenes celebrated over their victory over the Persians - a tour de force of historical authenticity and poetic imagination.
In the first of two parts, we meet the participants as they are trained for the rigorous Games. The stage is set for the conflict between Sotion, carefree and fully committed to the ancient ideal, and the methodical, practical Ikkos, who trains himself rigorously apart from the others. Then follows a masterful account of the events themselves, in part two. Here, as elsewhere in the book, the world of ancient Greece attains a new actuality, as the Greeks are portrayed at a time of heightened awareness of existence.
In the first of two parts, we meet the participants as they are trained for the rigorous Games. The stage is set for the conflict between Sotion, carefree and fully committed to the ancient ideal, and the methodical, practical Ikkos, who trains himself rigorously apart from the others. Then follows a masterful account of the events themselves, in part two. Here, as elsewhere in the book, the world of ancient Greece attains a new actuality, as the Greeks are portrayed at a time of heightened awareness of existence.
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
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About the author
Jan Parandowski
46 books22 followersJan Parandowski was a Polish writer, essayist, and translator. Best known for his works relating to classical antiquity, he was also the president of the Polish PEN Club between 1933 and 1978, with a break during World War II.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 23, 2021
Odlican!
April 12, 2022
(Audiobook), 7/10
Lektor - 4/6
Lektor - 4/6
August 1, 2024
niesamowita i piękna książka, Parandowski pisze bez skazy, każdy opis jest harmonijny, pełny treści i lekki jak grecki krajobraz i ciała biegaczy, których się kocha czytając
August 19, 2024
Uwielbiam Parandowskiego, he's got a special place in my heart.
April 8, 2015
I enjoyed this book more for the author's ability to portray the Greekness of the ancient Greeks than for the plot itself. There is a beautiful narration of the pride and pleasure that the athletes take in hearing a young man's spontaneous recital of an episode from Homer's Iliad. Likewise, Parandowski describes beautifully the Greeks' admiration for the perfection in physical form of an elite athlete's body. I think that all the nude Greek stuff makes some people squirm; Parandowski treats it delicately, nobly, and as the manifestation of a philosophical ideal.
Cameos by Themistocles and Pindar are simply charming.
Cameos by Themistocles and Pindar are simply charming.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews