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Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches
A Greek-educated Syrian, Lucian wrote witty pieces that demonstrate a profound skepticism for religion and philosophy and encourage honest living and good sense. “Chattering Courtesans” is a series of short dialogues in which the amusing gossip of “kept women” gives rise to a discussion of more serious subjects such as love, sex, and marriage. Other comic dialogues in this volume show Lucian making fun of fanaticism and mocking pretension, hypocrisy, and the vanity of human wealth and power, while in “Diatribes” he targets a range of subjects, from scandal and money to death, in order to demonstrate the follies of contemporary life. Also included here is Lucian’s most famous work, True Histories, which inspired imaginary voyages, from More’s Utopia to Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.
First time in Penguin Classics Keith Sidwell's new translation captures Lucian's lively informal humor and rich variety of styles Introduction discusses the influence on Lucian of earlier Greek writers and philosophers, as well as Lucian's influence on later European culture Includes preface to each section, suggestions for further reading, explanatory notes, and a glossary of names
First time in Penguin Classics Keith Sidwell's new translation captures Lucian's lively informal humor and rich variety of styles Introduction discusses the influence on Lucian of earlier Greek writers and philosophers, as well as Lucian's influence on later European culture Includes preface to each section, suggestions for further reading, explanatory notes, and a glossary of names
544 pages, Paperback
Published January 25, 2005
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1014 people want to read
About the author
Lucian of Samosata
1,520 books183 followersLucian of Samosata was a Greek-educated Syrian rhetorician, and satirist who wrote in the Greek language. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 3, 2013
Lucian is an odd combination of comedian and social satirist, and he loves to send up the likes of Homer, Herodotus, and at his most brilliant, even Socrates. Sometimes he reminds me of Aristophanes, other times Monty Python. He's funny and irreverent and often quite cynical.
Keith Sidwell has chosen works of different formats to show off Lucian's skills -- there are critical essays, sit-com performances, parodies of Socratic dialogues, and even a science fiction novel (goofing on Herodotus, chiefly.) It might be difficult to see the humor here without a background in classics, because Lucian likes nothing better than to skewer the greats of his time. But if you're at all familiar with Homer and Herodotus, at least give "True Histories" a go. And if Plato is your thing, "About the Parasite" is brilliant.
Sidwell's translation, introductions, and notes are fantastic. I used his translation of "True Histories" to check against my own translation, (a humbling experience) and found Sidwell to be both accurate and fluid. And when there are weird things in the Greek, he tells you in a foot note. Very well done.
Keith Sidwell has chosen works of different formats to show off Lucian's skills -- there are critical essays, sit-com performances, parodies of Socratic dialogues, and even a science fiction novel (goofing on Herodotus, chiefly.) It might be difficult to see the humor here without a background in classics, because Lucian likes nothing better than to skewer the greats of his time. But if you're at all familiar with Homer and Herodotus, at least give "True Histories" a go. And if Plato is your thing, "About the Parasite" is brilliant.
Sidwell's translation, introductions, and notes are fantastic. I used his translation of "True Histories" to check against my own translation, (a humbling experience) and found Sidwell to be both accurate and fluid. And when there are weird things in the Greek, he tells you in a foot note. Very well done.
September 4, 2016
A fascinating look at life in ancient Greece viz. prostitutes. Surprisingly modern when decribing relationships between men and women.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
May 27, 2023
Luciano mi lgtb ally 💙
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May 17, 2021"No, Leena," disse, "sono nata, sì, uguale a tutte voi, ma la mente, i desideri che ho e tutto il resto sono quelli di un uomo." "E il desiderio ti basta?" "Fammi provare, Leena, se non ti fidi, e vedrai che non mi manca nulla degli uomini: qualcosa ce l'ho al posto di quello degli uomini."
... 💓💓💓
... 💓💓💓
January 31, 2019
De los pocos documentos antiguos referentes a la forma de pensar de las mujeres que puede pasar por verídico, además de divertido
July 10, 2023
When, in the aftermath of Rabelais, I embarked on the Lucinian voyage, I was expecting a more mythologically oriented Juvenal manning the helm, with fresh blood on his mitts. Though Lucian could be a sarky lad, he is not really vitriolic—and as opposed to Juvenal, he could switch a lot between registers and tones. In this finely annotated, brilliantly translated (such good diction!) collection are showed the many faces of our Syrian Grecophile: the fabulist, the satirist, the sophist, the encomiast, the social observer, the moralist and the teller of tall tales.
Lucian is at his best when he writes humorous dialogues involving gods, ironic encomia or off-the-wall fiction. The way he brings gods and other immortal creatures to more common settings and makes them question the mores is extremely entertaining, as is showcased in “The Tyrant” or “Timon the Misanthrope”. The ironic encomia, i.e. “Praising a Fly”, “Images” (and its Defence) and “About the Parasite” are brilliant precursors to Rabelais and Oscar Wilde, turning everyday assumptions on their head and twisting matters so as to achieve the most hilariously warped caricatures of dialectics. And the off-the-wall fiction of course refers to “True Histories”, an absolute gem full of the most vividly imaginative (travelogue) nonsense created during the ancient times—and this is not an exaggeration. The likes of Ovid and Homer obviously were imaginatively gifted and obviously more talented artists than Lucian, but the sheer Bosch-like kaleidoscope of fantastic forms, proto-scifi travel and the most ridiculous customs (such as ithyphallic men sailing the seas by lying on their backs and letting the wind belly the sails attached to their knobs) is so immediate and so colourful as to make the precursors pale. In fact, it makes even Rabelais, More and Swift pale in comparison! An out-and-out treat.
We also get some rather funny and edifying biographies of philosophers, outrageous puncturing of death rites, and interesting slices of courtesan life (featuring a shockingly early intimation of the gender identity debate, though obviously not a serious one). As for the “stinkers”, Lucian was at his most boring when he crammed his works full of stories, such as in the Scythian dialogue—it got a bit bothersome having to start yet another story in succession, especially when one knows that Lucian is not really serious. The applies to “The Ship”, which featured a rather irritating self-insert that simultaneously underscored the apparent humour of the silly dreams and the folly thereof.
All in all, I am joyed to have found this author, for he stands apart in the Ancient canon. He’s got the wit and devilish sophistry in him to weave marvellous parodies, but he’s also astute enough to make the stories more meaningful. And what’s the best about him is that his sense of humour has not really grown limp over the millennia.
Lucian is at his best when he writes humorous dialogues involving gods, ironic encomia or off-the-wall fiction. The way he brings gods and other immortal creatures to more common settings and makes them question the mores is extremely entertaining, as is showcased in “The Tyrant” or “Timon the Misanthrope”. The ironic encomia, i.e. “Praising a Fly”, “Images” (and its Defence) and “About the Parasite” are brilliant precursors to Rabelais and Oscar Wilde, turning everyday assumptions on their head and twisting matters so as to achieve the most hilariously warped caricatures of dialectics. And the off-the-wall fiction of course refers to “True Histories”, an absolute gem full of the most vividly imaginative (travelogue) nonsense created during the ancient times—and this is not an exaggeration. The likes of Ovid and Homer obviously were imaginatively gifted and obviously more talented artists than Lucian, but the sheer Bosch-like kaleidoscope of fantastic forms, proto-scifi travel and the most ridiculous customs (such as ithyphallic men sailing the seas by lying on their backs and letting the wind belly the sails attached to their knobs) is so immediate and so colourful as to make the precursors pale. In fact, it makes even Rabelais, More and Swift pale in comparison! An out-and-out treat.
We also get some rather funny and edifying biographies of philosophers, outrageous puncturing of death rites, and interesting slices of courtesan life (featuring a shockingly early intimation of the gender identity debate, though obviously not a serious one). As for the “stinkers”, Lucian was at his most boring when he crammed his works full of stories, such as in the Scythian dialogue—it got a bit bothersome having to start yet another story in succession, especially when one knows that Lucian is not really serious. The applies to “The Ship”, which featured a rather irritating self-insert that simultaneously underscored the apparent humour of the silly dreams and the folly thereof.
All in all, I am joyed to have found this author, for he stands apart in the Ancient canon. He’s got the wit and devilish sophistry in him to weave marvellous parodies, but he’s also astute enough to make the stories more meaningful. And what’s the best about him is that his sense of humour has not really grown limp over the millennia.
March 31, 2024
Outrageous! Lucian writes exuberantly with a desire to shock. Fielding learnt the mock-heroic from Lucian, then added more sophistication. In The Voyage, Lucian sets out to write a fantasy that mocks Homer -- which is so far beyond reality that no reader can believe a word of it. And he succeeds. It is a ribald romp through space and sea, involving sex with trees and men whose penises serve as masts for wind-propelled ships. From the fertile dung of Lucian, most certainly, Swift created the excrescences in Gulliver's Travels. Lucian's mock-philosophical dialogues (with a nod-and-a- wink towards Plato) were rich sources for Erasmus, Thomas More, and later Wilde, though Wilde's aesthetic excesses would have been thrashed to pieces by Lucian's satirical sword. Great fun.
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October 3, 2023Worth it for Timon the Misanthrope
July 21, 2025
As I start my review of this Penguin Classics selection of translated texts originally written by the 2nd Century CE author Lucian of Samosata I wonder what I should classify the book as. I've decided to go with Ancient History, but I could have also gone with essay writing, humour, philosophy, comedy and even perhaps science fiction. This is part due to the variety of texts collated herein. However, the origin of this dilemma resides in the wide ranging style and purpose of the author himself. With an eclectic and dare one say at times rather modern approach to his wide ranging topics Lucian offers the reader a panoply of texts and associated readings that are never fixated on one idea, one experience. Yes, all of the essays, narratives and dialogues in Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches invariably refer to classical authors, and are inspired and/or connected to preceding works by the likes of Homer, Aristophanes, Plato, Herodotus, Thucydides et al. Yet from this amalgam of influences and references Lucian's woek, as published here, comes a rather unique perspective on ancient society and culture. This is an important selection that will undoubtedly provoke considerable interest in those of us who are interested in classical literature in translation.
So, what makes Lucian's work so engaging and interesting, as embodied in the items selected for this Penguin Classics edition. Firstly, when one reads works such as 'Two Charges of Literary Assault' it's rather surprising to see how modern Lucian is, or perhaps how one can see the debt owed by contemporary writers to him. For example, in the following quote from the aforementioned text we see how meta his work could be:
That Lucian is referring to his character in this dialogue referring to the persona of Dialogue as a means to defend himself against charges of the character's sophistry, whilst nominally engaged in a dialogue, is surprisingly complex and speaks to Lucian's metalanguage. The more aware reader will be taken aback by the construct of the piece and reminded of more contemporary literary scenarios where one might see a play within a play, or a character breaking teh fourth wall to acknowledge or undermine the artifice of the composition. Lucian repeats this throughout the items collated here in this volume, viz his reference to being an untruthful narrator in his 'True History', whilst stating again and again that his is being honest and trustworthy. This is astyle of writing that will definitely resonate for audiences from today, and must also beg the question how innovative and unique Lucian's work is.
Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches also offers the reader opportunities to enjoy Lucian's comedic touch, such as the quote "“I don’t think you should be surprised, Athenians, that I have not in the past made sacrifice to Athena. I did not suppose she needed any offerings from me.’. Taken from the same 'Two Charges of Literary Assault' reference earlier, this entry reminds me of the Spike Milligan joke “I thought I'd begin by reading a poem by Shakespeare, but then I thought, why should I? He never reads any of mine.”. Lucian is also not afraid of getting into some prurient humour that would not look out of place in a British sex comedy:
There's nothing like a bit of bawdy double entendre to make a text come alive, and it's a shame that the editor and the translator Keith Sidwell hasn't include Lucian's 'Metamorphosis' in this volume.
Sidwell's translation is mostly rewarding, and it is informed and supported by copious and informative notes. Being able to access the linguistic subtext embedded by Lucian in his writing is most helpful, as seen in this footnote:
Without the extra interpretative work done by the translator there is no doubt that the reader would lose much of the additional meaning and value of Lucian's work. Having said that, there are moments where I would suggest that Sidwell doesn't get it quite right. For example, he has Lucian say this in 'Demonax the Philosopher':
Whilst I can;t fault Sidwell on connecting the construct of the depilated philosophy with homoeroticism, as perceived and developed by Graeco-Roman society, that the translator relies on a rather inaccurate way of speaking to the idea of the pathicus doesn't meet expectations. This dilutes some of the effectiveness of what Sidwell does for Lucian's representation of sexuality in his texts, which is a rather important aspect of the original texts.
That Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches is a miscellany means that not every text will be as engaging as hoped for, and Lucian's desire to adapt, parody or reinterpret ancient texts and their authors sometimes will go over the casual reader's head, or leave them somewhat disinterested. The more philosophical entries in this book suffer accordingly. Having said that, this is a fair representation of Lucian's eclectic corpus, and one would be hard put to exclude what is disengaging for the sake of making the volume more risible or humorous.
So, who will read this book? Those who love classical literature from the Graeco-Roman period of ancient history should take a look at Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches. Also, whilst there are more expansive editions of Lucian's works available in translation (e.g. the Loeb editions), Penguin have offered a valuable and valid introduction to the author. If you're intrigued by one of the most unique and interesting writers to emerge out of the ancient Mediterranean world then this is going to be a good get.
So, what makes Lucian's work so engaging and interesting, as embodied in the items selected for this Penguin Classics edition. Firstly, when one reads works such as 'Two Charges of Literary Assault' it's rather surprising to see how modern Lucian is, or perhaps how one can see the debt owed by contemporary writers to him. For example, in the following quote from the aforementioned text we see how meta his work could be:
"“I rest my case, jurors. Don’t allow him to use my form of discourse for his defence speech. It would be hard-hearted of him to sharpen my own dagger to use against me. Let him defend himself in the manner of his beloved Dialogue, if he can!”."
That Lucian is referring to his character in this dialogue referring to the persona of Dialogue as a means to defend himself against charges of the character's sophistry, whilst nominally engaged in a dialogue, is surprisingly complex and speaks to Lucian's metalanguage. The more aware reader will be taken aback by the construct of the piece and reminded of more contemporary literary scenarios where one might see a play within a play, or a character breaking teh fourth wall to acknowledge or undermine the artifice of the composition. Lucian repeats this throughout the items collated here in this volume, viz his reference to being an untruthful narrator in his 'True History', whilst stating again and again that his is being honest and trustworthy. This is astyle of writing that will definitely resonate for audiences from today, and must also beg the question how innovative and unique Lucian's work is.
Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches also offers the reader opportunities to enjoy Lucian's comedic touch, such as the quote "“I don’t think you should be surprised, Athenians, that I have not in the past made sacrifice to Athena. I did not suppose she needed any offerings from me.’. Taken from the same 'Two Charges of Literary Assault' reference earlier, this entry reminds me of the Spike Milligan joke “I thought I'd begin by reading a poem by Shakespeare, but then I thought, why should I? He never reads any of mine.”. Lucian is also not afraid of getting into some prurient humour that would not look out of place in a British sex comedy:
"So Demonax dismissed him with these words: ‘Go away, my boy, and take care of your own ring, since you’ve not lost this one.”"
There's nothing like a bit of bawdy double entendre to make a text come alive, and it's a shame that the editor and the translator Keith Sidwell hasn't include Lucian's 'Metamorphosis' in this volume.
Sidwell's translation is mostly rewarding, and it is informed and supported by copious and informative notes. Being able to access the linguistic subtext embedded by Lucian in his writing is most helpful, as seen in this footnote:
"Architeles and Erasicleia: These names have been constructed to sound impressive (respectively, ‘Leader of the pack’ and ‘Delighting in fame’) rather than to reflect real usage. The first is attested for Athens by a story in Plutarch (Themistocles 7), while the second is found only here."
Without the extra interpretative work done by the translator there is no doubt that the reader would lose much of the additional meaning and value of Lucian's work. Having said that, there are moments where I would suggest that Sidwell doesn't get it quite right. For example, he has Lucian say this in 'Demonax the Philosopher':
"“He was the type who used pitch-plaster to remove hair from his legs and the rest of his body. A Cynic philosopher got up on a rock one day and condemned him for this practice, saying that it showed the proconsul was a passive homosexual."
Whilst I can;t fault Sidwell on connecting the construct of the depilated philosophy with homoeroticism, as perceived and developed by Graeco-Roman society, that the translator relies on a rather inaccurate way of speaking to the idea of the pathicus doesn't meet expectations. This dilutes some of the effectiveness of what Sidwell does for Lucian's representation of sexuality in his texts, which is a rather important aspect of the original texts.
That Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches is a miscellany means that not every text will be as engaging as hoped for, and Lucian's desire to adapt, parody or reinterpret ancient texts and their authors sometimes will go over the casual reader's head, or leave them somewhat disinterested. The more philosophical entries in this book suffer accordingly. Having said that, this is a fair representation of Lucian's eclectic corpus, and one would be hard put to exclude what is disengaging for the sake of making the volume more risible or humorous.
So, who will read this book? Those who love classical literature from the Graeco-Roman period of ancient history should take a look at Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches. Also, whilst there are more expansive editions of Lucian's works available in translation (e.g. the Loeb editions), Penguin have offered a valuable and valid introduction to the author. If you're intrigued by one of the most unique and interesting writers to emerge out of the ancient Mediterranean world then this is going to be a good get.
Read
April 17, 2013I read the introduction and began the book but ended up putting it down. I wanted to read Lucian because I have come across his name a number of times over the years, hearing that he was admired by people like Shelly and Sterne. However, when I started reading it it was immediately obvious that I was going to find the book heavy going. Humour ages poorly. I can read books that are thousands of years old with interest but whilst stories of love or war or politics or religious experience can cross temporal or cultural divides I think humour is much more specific to the time and place it was produced in. What we find funny is so much more culturally specific. Just think about internet humour. How would people have reacted to our gifs and meme's 20 years ago? Will they find the phenomenon of Rick-Rolling funny in 50 years? How funny are 70's sitcoms today? I remember watching my first Shakespeare comedies at the theatre and thinking that the people ostentatiously guffawing at the jokes were a bunch of poseurs. Nabokov once criticized Don Quixote for being a barbaric catalogue of brutality and violence, but those scenes were supposed to be funny. These days I would say that Shakespeare and Cervantes are probably the earliest writers that I find reasonably funny, and 18th century writers like Pope, Swift, Sterne, Diderot and Voltaire are definitely funny. I tried reading Rabelais and found it a laborious and tedious collection of toilet humour and obscure references to Scholastic philosophy. I confess that I couldn't be arsed to force my way through the work of Lucian.
June 3, 2013
J'avais envie de lire du Lucien de Samosate (un peu nostalgique du temps de mes études en histoire romaine) et ne voulait surtout pas abimer ma merveilleuse édition de l'oeuvre complète de Lucien datant de 1664 (Amsterdam, chez Jean de Ravestein, traduction de N. Perrot) - sans compter que la lecture en vieux français finit par être pénible à la longue. Je me suis donc commandé quelques ouvrages en bibliothèques publiques. Je n'ai fini que par lire celle-ci. Toutefois, quelle ne fut pas ma surprise de découvrir que la bibliothèque d'Outremont (Robert-Bourassa) possédait dans sa réserve (et prêtait!) cette édition ancienne de 1927 encore en excellente condition!
Les Mimes des courtisanes (a.k.a. Dialogues des courtisanes) n'est pas la plus connue des oeuvres de Lucien et est assez brève. C'est une lecture aisé et plutôt agréable.
J'aimerais bien lire plus de ses oeuvres, mais malheureusement ce n'est pas un auteur facile à trouver (ni en librairies, ni en bibliothèques). Toutefois, la majeur partie du corpus de Lucien est disponible en format ebook gratuit, mais comme ceux-ci sont le résultat de scan rapide où la mise en page n'a pas été corrigée, la lecture en est un peu ennuyante et laborieuse.
Voir mon commentaire complet sur : http://clodjee.blogspot.ca/2013/06/mi...
Les Mimes des courtisanes (a.k.a. Dialogues des courtisanes) n'est pas la plus connue des oeuvres de Lucien et est assez brève. C'est une lecture aisé et plutôt agréable.
J'aimerais bien lire plus de ses oeuvres, mais malheureusement ce n'est pas un auteur facile à trouver (ni en librairies, ni en bibliothèques). Toutefois, la majeur partie du corpus de Lucien est disponible en format ebook gratuit, mais comme ceux-ci sont le résultat de scan rapide où la mise en page n'a pas été corrigée, la lecture en est un peu ennuyante et laborieuse.
Voir mon commentaire complet sur : http://clodjee.blogspot.ca/2013/06/mi...
April 4, 2008
I loved this book. Beautiful bind to look at and read accompanied with avant illustrations. Books today, mass produced, lack a lengthy production process which intrinsically incorporate pride and attention to detail to the physical birth of a copy.
This was printed privately in 1931, a rare beaut of a bind. A gift to be had and thanks.
It's original title is "The Mimes of the Courtesans." It was written in 43 BC by Lucian a Greek who boldly, tho frank, discussed phases of intimate, racy sex details of the era. That said, the translator was able to incorporate his intended phloof of funny and freedom. It is a series of random and not so conversations.
Historically, Lucian was one of the first ever tangible documents of lesbian behavior. Minimal speak of les, 5 pages... its more about the sexual mind and tendency of the time. Funny, 90 years later to date, I agree with the translator, quite similar to ours.
Translator's forward, A.L.H in 1928
concluding paragraph:
"These dialogues can hardly be offensive to the intelligent modern; for, somehow, our own civilization is changing, and as it becomes richer and fuller, it seems to have more in common with the civilizations of antiquity."
Interesting and rare. Treasure.
This was printed privately in 1931, a rare beaut of a bind. A gift to be had and thanks.
It's original title is "The Mimes of the Courtesans." It was written in 43 BC by Lucian a Greek who boldly, tho frank, discussed phases of intimate, racy sex details of the era. That said, the translator was able to incorporate his intended phloof of funny and freedom. It is a series of random and not so conversations.
Historically, Lucian was one of the first ever tangible documents of lesbian behavior. Minimal speak of les, 5 pages... its more about the sexual mind and tendency of the time. Funny, 90 years later to date, I agree with the translator, quite similar to ours.
Translator's forward, A.L.H in 1928
concluding paragraph:
"These dialogues can hardly be offensive to the intelligent modern; for, somehow, our own civilization is changing, and as it becomes richer and fuller, it seems to have more in common with the civilizations of antiquity."
Interesting and rare. Treasure.
July 18, 2021
Matica hrvatska
Zagreb, 2002.
Žanrovski vrlo interesantno klupko riječi.
Kao svojevrsna zbirka kratkih priča ogoljenih do samih dijaloga s poukom na samom kraju, humorističnog subteksta.
Hetere, kurve pričaju.
Pomalo zločesto pričaju.
Lukijane, Lukijane...
Zagreb, 2002.
Žanrovski vrlo interesantno klupko riječi.
Kao svojevrsna zbirka kratkih priča ogoljenih do samih dijaloga s poukom na samom kraju, humorističnog subteksta.
Hetere, kurve pričaju.
Pomalo zločesto pričaju.
Lukijane, Lukijane...
December 21, 2011
So many stories from interesting points of view. I love it. From the beginning to the end all the stories make me laugh and read more books of this kind.
July 10, 2021
Quinze dialogues enlevés pour entrevoir le quotidien des courtisanes du IIe siècle. Divertissant.
December 5, 2024
Confidencialidades tragicómicas
Luciano De Samósata hace una recopilación de pequeñas escenas en las que se ven envueltas personajes que representan el mundo de las cortesanas de la época, el cual hoy en día se mantiene vigente con otras denominaciones. Estas circunstancias parten de discusiones cotidianas que perfectamente pudieron haber ocurrido, o seguir ocurriendo.
Encontramos en estos cortos diálogos medios para entender de manera cercana lo que preocupaba a las mujeres que seguían este estilo de vida, desde el enfoque económico que tiene su profesión, el afecto que se genera entre las mismas practicantes, las inestables relaciones que generan con algunos de sus clientes, ideas que rondan entre una parodia y una critica.
Se hace evidente también de las distancias que existían entre los sexos, al menos ahora pueden verse desde una dimensión menos condescendiente, sobre todo si nos enfocamos en algunos retratos más desoladores como las instancias de abuso tanto físico como psicológico que se generaba en estos contextos.
"Sé que los hombres se vuelven grandes amantes cuando se imaginan que no nos preocupamos por ellos; y cuando un amante se cree el único, el deseo se marchita en él".
Luciano De Samósata hace una recopilación de pequeñas escenas en las que se ven envueltas personajes que representan el mundo de las cortesanas de la época, el cual hoy en día se mantiene vigente con otras denominaciones. Estas circunstancias parten de discusiones cotidianas que perfectamente pudieron haber ocurrido, o seguir ocurriendo.
Encontramos en estos cortos diálogos medios para entender de manera cercana lo que preocupaba a las mujeres que seguían este estilo de vida, desde el enfoque económico que tiene su profesión, el afecto que se genera entre las mismas practicantes, las inestables relaciones que generan con algunos de sus clientes, ideas que rondan entre una parodia y una critica.
Se hace evidente también de las distancias que existían entre los sexos, al menos ahora pueden verse desde una dimensión menos condescendiente, sobre todo si nos enfocamos en algunos retratos más desoladores como las instancias de abuso tanto físico como psicológico que se generaba en estos contextos.
"Sé que los hombres se vuelven grandes amantes cuando se imaginan que no nos preocupamos por ellos; y cuando un amante se cree el único, el deseo se marchita en él".
September 30, 2024
Gently satirical dialogues between εταιρείας . The Greek is appropriate for intermediate and lower echelon advanced students. Plenty of topics for discussion in the classroom regarding social and sexual mores then and now. The lesbian coming out dialogue could have been written last week…not the specific situation but the questions and answers about sexuality.
The Loeb edition of the dialogues is also good if you don’t read Greek and even if you do to get a feel for the idioms.
The Loeb edition of the dialogues is also good if you don’t read Greek and even if you do to get a feel for the idioms.
March 23, 2025
Read at clown school in France. So effing good
June 9, 2025
Les Dialogues des Courtisanes nous plonge dans le quotidien des prostitués de l'époque antique. Avec un humour incisif et un ton sacarstique, on découvre des portraits de femmes très prosaïques, qui bien souvent s'attachent à leur client. La limite entre l'intérêt pécunier et amoureux n'est pas franchement tirée. On se retrouve très souvent dans des scénettes de comédie, dont sont tirés les personnages d'hétaïres à l'origine. Personnages secondaires des intrigues, Lucien de Samosate choisit d'en faire des héroïnes, des petites femmes du peuple lancés sur la grande scène, à une époque où l'on raconte plus volontiers les grands mythes et les grands hommes.
July 1, 2014
Funny observations by a true Roman wit. Sometimes I laughed out loud. Still relevant today because we still have the same characters running loose! Very enjoyable.
August 31, 2020
Increïble, la modernitat de les converses. La recomano com a mostra que passaran ems segles però la naturalesa humana no canvia
September 14, 2022
Telling
September 15, 2022
A+ for representing lesbian and transman but F- for painting them in bad light
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2022
Meh, mi aspettavo un po' di più
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews