Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Lewis Helfand , Lalit Kumar Singh

400 is a graphic novel retelling of the March of the Ten Thousand, a historical event which took place at the beginning of the fourth century BCE. Greek mercenaries found themselves stranded in what is now Iraq after the failure of a coup by Cyrus the Younger who was attempting to seize the Persian throne. The event is known to history largely because of the thorough account written by a participant in the events, the philosopher-historian Xenophon. His Anabasis, or journey up country, was writt(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: India

TAGS: Architecture Athens Graeco-Persian wars Greek art Greek history Reception of classical antiquity Socrates Xenophon

Athena. Classics Illustrated, no. 216. From the Mythology and History of Greece [Αθηνά. Κλασσικά Εικονογραφημένα, Νο. 216. Από την Μυθολογία και την Ιστορία της Ελλάδος]

This comic book is about the goddess Athena. On the inside of the front cover, we read about Athena’s temples on the Acropolis, her motherless status, and her many adjectives, which, we note, derive from Homer. Also, we learn about festivals honouring Athena. The book closes with Pericles praising Athena’s virtues. The story starts with young and beautiful Athena’s presentation to the world. She stands in Zeus’ hand, as he sits in a throne surrounded by other Olympia(...)

literary

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Acropolis Alcibiades Aphrodite Apollo Argonauts Asclepius / Asklepios Aspasia Athena/ Athene Charites Crete Dareios Echo Enkelados Erechtheion Giants Hephaestus Hera Heracles / Herakles Hermes Iris Marathon Medusa Minos Muses Odysseus/ Ulysses Panathenaia Paris Parthenon Pericles Perseus Persians Pheidias Poseidon Sisyphos Socrates Solon Sophocles Tartarus Teiresias Theseus Trojan War Typhon Vriareos Zeus

Kornel Makuszyński , Zbigniew Piotrowski

Demon in 7th Grade [Szatan z siódmej klasy]

Professor Gąsowski is shocked when he discovers that his students have known for a long time his scheme for questioning them during class. It turns out that it was deciphered by Adam Cisowski – a brilliant student with a special gift for solving puzzles. Moreover, Adam accepts the challenge issued by the professor – he will try to guess whom the teacher will select to answer his question during the next class, according to a new scheme. To the professor’s surprise Adam succeeds(...)

literary

YEAR: 1937

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Achilles Aesop Aesop’s Fables Agamemnon Ajax Alcibiades Alexander Amalthea Apelles Atlas Brutus Charon Elysian Fields Famous maxims Greek mythology Hannibal Hecatomb Iris Julius Caesar Jupiter Latin Mercury Mythology Pericles Pythagoras Roman mythology Socrates Tacitus Virgil Virgil’s Aeneid

John Maxwell Coetzee

Diary of a Bad Year

Diary of a Bad Year is an experimental novel (historical fiction) in which non-fiction and fiction are juxtaposed within the same novel. Each page is divided into two or three parts. The novel takes the form of a series of essays that the protagonist is writing for a collection, tentatively called Strong Opinions. These essays take up the first part of the page. Beneath this, are diary entries, both by the central character, and by his young typist, recounting the developing relationship between(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Adeimantus Eurydice Orpheus Persephone Plato Pluto Socrates Thrasymachus

Imogen Greenberg , Isabel Greenberg

Discover… (Series): The Ancient Greeks

Discover... began in 2016. It is part of a series offering a light-hearted introduction to a range of ancient cultures, including The Roman Empire, The Ancient Aztecs, and The Ancient Egyptians.Discover... The Ancient Greeks opens with the stated intention of exploring who the ancient Greeks really were. The book is divided into 2-page sub-sections, each discussing a different aspect of ancient Greek culture.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Aesop Aesop’s Fables Alexander the Great Aphrodite Architecture Argo Argonauts Ariadne Athena/ Athene Athens Chorus Classical studies Crete Delos Dionysus Divination Egypt Fable Gods Golden Fleece Graeco-Persian wars Greek art Greek history Greek language Greek music Greek mythology Greek philosophy Greek theatre Hades Harpies Hector Helen of Troy Hera Heracles / Herakles Hercules Hermes Hermes' winged boots Homer Iliad Incest Jason Labyrinth Laurel wreath Maze Medea Menelaus Minos Minotaur Mythology Odysseus/ Ulysses Odyssey Oedipus Rex Olympic Games Olympus Oracles Orpheus Paris Penelope Pericles Poseidon Pythoness Reception of classical antiquity Scylla Sirens Slavery Socrates Sophocles Sparta Theseus Thetis Trident Trojan Horse (wooden) Trojan War Troy Witches Zeus

Bernard Beckett

Genesis

Dystopian speculative fiction for young adults, with a philosophical focus. Set in the ‘Republic,’ an island country that has survived global turmoil (war between continental powers, and plague). Protagonist Anaximander is undergoing examination for entrance into the ‘Academy,’ and therefore into an elite life of inquiry and culture. Her special topic is Adam Forde, a rebel from a previous period in history and a hero from an early stage of the Republic. As a coastal guar(...)

literary

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: New Zealand

TAGS: Adam Anaximander Bible Eve Free Will Greek philosophy Human Society Love Pericles Plato’s Dialogues Plato’s Republic Rebekah Socrates

Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Hopeless Heroes (Series, Book 4): Problem with Pythagoras

This is book 4 in the Hopeless Heroes series. This is a series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. Our hero, Tim Baker, faces two difficult problems. The first- a failing math test. The other- his mother's new boyfriend who happens to be a teacher from his school, Larry Green. Tim is dumbfounded and is not sure how to react to this awkward situation. H(...)

literary

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Hera Hercules Pythagoras Socrates Theseus

Małgorzata Musierowicz

Jeżyciad (Series) [Jeżycjada]

Jeżycjada is a saga about life of succeeding generations of families from a district of Poznań, Jeżyce. It began in December 1975. Most of the volumes highlight problems of adolescence and early adulthood of girls from these families; the few exceptions are: Kalamburka [Punnie], 2001, which describes Melania Borejko’s whole life, Język Trolli [Trolla’s Language], 2004, and Sprężyna [A Coil], 2008, written from the point of view of younger children. The prominent family of Jeżycj(...)

literary

YEAR: 1977

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Aristophanes Aspasia Classical philology Cyclops / Cyclopes Great Fire of Rome Homer Horace Hydra Hypatia Ides of March Jove Laocoön Group Latin Latin literature Lotus-eater Marcus Aurelius Matricide Nero Ovid Pyrrhic victory Roman history Roman nose Roman wedding rituals Seneca Socrates Styx Sybil Virgil

Philippe Lagautrière, Michel Piquemal

Philo-Fables. 60 Fables with Questions, Points and Keywords; From the Age of Nine [Les Philo-Fables. 60 Fables accompagnées de questions, de repères et de mots-clés; dès 9 ans]

A collection of fables and tales from European philosophy, mythology, Eastern wisdom, popular tradition of many countries. All stories are similarly structured. Each fable is followed by an indication of source and then by a modern explanation of the moral entitled In the Philosopher’s Workshop (Dans l’atelier du philosophe). The key-words for each story are placed on the upper margin. Words considered difficult for the child reader are explained in footnotes, e. g. *Parabole: p(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: France

TAGS: Aesop Alexander the Great Antigone Damocles Diogenes Gyges Horace Midas Narcissus Ovid Plato Pliny the Younger Socrates Sophocles

Yann Le Bras, Jean Paul Mongin

Plato & Co [Les Petits Platon] (Series): The Death of Socrates [La mort du divin Socrate]

The Plato and Co. publications explore the lives and works of ancient and modern philosophers in highly illustrated slim volumes. This contribution to the series addresses the trial and subsequent death of Socrates following Plato's account and in doing so presents a number of Socrates' ideas as a narrative of this period of his life. The Death of Socrates opens with an enquiry, apparently from the narrator, to the Delphic Oracle as to who is the wisest man in Greece. The oracle ans(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: France

TAGS: Afterlife Architecture Asclepius / Asklepios Athena/ Athene Athens Divination Gods Greek art Greek history Greek philosophy Greek theatre Hades Hermes Katabasis Oracles Plato Socrates Theseus Underworld

Christophe Blain, Joann Sfar

Socrates the Half-Dog (Series): Heracles [Socrate le demi-chien. Héraclès] / Odysseus [Ulysse] / Oedipus in Corinth [Œdipe à Corinthe]

A trilogy about a special super-hero, Socrates, the half-dog, half-philosopher, whose father was a dog belonging to Zeus and whose master was Heracles. Each of the volumes centres on a different mythological hero: the first on Heracles, the second on Ulysses, the third on Oedipus.Socrates’ powers make him similar to humans – he can think, talk, and even read, while claiming that his philosophy is based on doing nothing – eating when hungry, sleeping when sleepy, and following t(...)

literary

YEAR: 2002

COUNTRY: France

TAGS: Athena/ Athene Circe Corinth Cyclops / Cyclopes Destiny Heracles / Herakles Ithaca Odysseus/ Ulysses Oedipus Penelope Poseidon Socrates Telemachus Twelve Labours of Heracles Zeus

Joseph Hocking

Tommy and the Maid of Athens

A patriotic novel written during World War One, the protagonist of Hocking’s Tommy and the Maid of Athens, John Penrose, is sent on a mission to discover suspected underhanded scheming amongst the powers in Athens. He enlists his friend Tom Pollard to help him on his quest, a man who had become famous for exposing a German spy in the war, and was known for his patriotic bravery. The novel is written primarily through the eyes of John, but at times the reader is given entry to Tom’s p(...)

literary

YEAR: 1917

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Athena/ Athene Greek mythology Greek philosophy Plato’s Republic Poetry Socrates