Aristophanes "Lysistrata and Other Plays"

Aristophanes "Lysistrata and Other Plays" (Greek: Lysistrátē/Λυσιστράτη) - 411 BC

For the Classics Spin #41, we received #11 and this was my novel.

I had found this book a while ago in a used book sale. I am grateful for that because that way, I only paid €1 for it.

My edition included not just "Lysistrata" but also "The Acharnians" (Acharnes) and "The Clouds" (Nephelai).

As you can see in the description, they praise the author's "ribald humour". Ribald it was indeed but I couldn't find humour in that, it was far too rough, coarse and crude. Probably the times. I wouldn't be surprised if this book was on the banned book list in the States.

But the stories itself also weren't too interesting. I think one must see this and not read it. Someone told me that the play is indeed hilarious and that the costumes added a lot to that. Well, Aristophanes didn't explain that. LOL

Book Description:

"Writing at the time of political and social crisis in Athens, Aristophanes was an eloquent yet bawdy challenger to the demagogue and the sophist. The Achanians is a plea for peace set against the background of the long war with Sparta. In Lysistrata a band of women tap into the awesome power of sex in order to end a war. The darker comedy of The Clouds satirizes Athenian philosophers, Socrates in particular, and reflects the uncertainties of a generation in which all traditional religious and ethical beliefs were being challenged.

For this edition Alan Sommerstein has completely revised his translation of these three plays, bringing out the full nuances of Aristophanes’ ribald humour and intricate word play, with a new introduction explaining the historical and cultural background to the plays."

Here are all the books on my original Classics Club list.
And here is a list of all the books I read with the Classics Spin.

Miura, Shion "The Easy Life in Kamusari"

Miura, Shion "The Easy Life in Kamusari" (Japanese: 神去なあなあ日常 Kamusari nānā nichijō) - 2009

We read this in our international online book club in May 2022.

I doubt I would have picked up the book otherwise. I have read plenty of books about young people who are sent somewhere and then their whole life turns around, it sounded like chick lit for teens.

But it was alright. Not a great book but not that bad, either. There is a little about Japanese mythology and beliefs, that's always interesting.

The author has a nice and pleasing writing style. It was a quick read but nothing remarkable. Apparently, this is book #1 in "The Forest Series". I doubt I will read the second one.

Comments from some other members:

• I think this was an easy and pleasant nature and coming of age story. One has to take it for what it is though, good light summer reading without any real dangers or drama. In the book there were many opportunities for a more serious and dramatic story.
• I think part of that is down to the fact that it is actually the first of a trilogy, so this book is in fact only the introduction. Having recently read "Story" and currently reading "The 7 Basic Plots" for college, I foresee a crisis happening in Book 2 that will be resolved in Book 3. Although I'm not planning to read either of them, so I won't find out if I'm right or not. (True, this is the beginning of a trilogy, I still would like to have a "complete" book if it is published as a book and I can't buy all three at the same time.)
• The value of "The Easy Life in Kamusari" lies in the imagining of a way of life closer to the earth, respecting it, and working in partnership with it. This orientation is one we all need to learn and to live if we want to continue to live on this planet. This is important for all ages as it presents the most profound drama of our age. The book is also a light, enjoyable summer read. I read it in an area of staggering beauty, inhaling the scent of cedars beside me, on my deck in Canada. The truth of the land itself is very difficult to convey and this book does it well.

From the back cover:

"From Shion Miura, the award-winning author of The Great Passage, comes a rapturous novel where the contemporary and the traditional meet amid the splendor of Japan’s mountain way of life.

Yuki Hirano is just out of high school when his parents enroll him, against his will, in a forestry training program in the remote mountain village of Kamusari. No phone, no internet, no shopping. Just a small, inviting community where the most common expression is 'take it easy.'

At first, Yuki is exhausted, fumbles with the tools, asks silly questions, and feels like an outcast. Kamusari is the last place a city boy from Yokohama wants to spend a year of his life. But as resistant as he might be, the scent of the cedars and the staggering beauty of the region have a pull.

Yuki learns to fell trees and plant saplings. He begins to embrace local festivals, he’s mesmerized by legends of the mountain, and he might be falling in love. In learning to respect the forest on Mt. Kamusari for its majestic qualities and its inexplicable secrets, Yuki starts to appreciate Kamusari’s harmony with nature and its ancient traditions.

In this warm and lively coming-of-age story, Miura transports us from the trappings of city life to the trials, mysteries, and delights of a mythical mountain forest."

Fry, Stephen "Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold"

Fry, Stephen "Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold" - 2017

I have never been a huge fan of all those Greek gods and their myths and I have always thought that's because I don't know enough about them. So, when I found this book by Stephen Fry, whom I really admire, I thought, okay, I'll give it another go.

Do I know more about the gods, titans, and all the other mythical creatures? Well, yes. Will I remember who is who and in which stories they appear? Mmmmh … probably not. And this has nothing to do with the brilliancy of Stephen Fry's way of telling those myths. No, he's as great as ever. But I have decided that those stories are not for me. There are a few stories that are not too bad but on the whole, they don't really interest me. Not even when someone as fantastic as Stephen Fry tell them. Probably too much like fantasy for me.

From the back cover:

"No one loves and quarrels, desires and deceives as boldly or brilliantly as Greek gods and goddesses.

In Stephen Fry's vivid retelling we gaze in wonder as wise Athena is born from the cracking open of the great head of Zeus and follow doomed Persephone into the dark and lonely realm of the Underworld. We shiver when Pandora opens her jar of evil torments and watch with joy as the legendary love affair between Eros and Psyche unfolds.

Mythos captures these extraordinary myths for our modern age - in all their dazzling and deeply human relevance."

Pinkola Estés, Clarissa "Women Who Run With the Wolves"

Pinkola Estés, Clarissa "Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype" - 1992

The latest book that was suggested by Emma Watson from the Goodreads group "Our Shared Shelf". There have been good and bad books, in my opinion, in this group. This is one of the better ones. Dr. Pinkola Estés talks about myths about the Wild Woman, she tells us fairy tales, folk sagas, anything that has to do with women standing on their own feet, defending themselves and their offspring and explains the symbolism behind it. Highly interesting.

The author explains so much about the human being so that this book should not just be read by women, also a great selection for men who would like to understand women better. You can tell this is written by a professional who knows everything about the human psyche, has studied it for a long time and always tries to look at every aspect of every story. Dr. Pinkola Estés is a Jungian analyst and even if you have never heard of Jung, she explains everything very detailed so that anyone can follow her stories and her analysis.

I have read a lot of fairy tales and there were quite a few stories that I heard in a similar version but every story the author retold was like new to me the way she explained them.

I borrowed this book from the library but might want to buy it for myself to read it again some other time. That's how good it was. And encouraging book that teaches us a lot about ourselves.

From the back cover:

"Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species. Though the gifts of wildish nature come to us at birth, society's attempt to 'civilize' us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. Without Wild Woman, we become over-domesticated, fearful, uncreative, trapped. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and cantadora storyteller, shows how woman's vitality can be restored through what she calls 'psychic archeological digs' into the bins of the female unconscious. In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Estes uses multicultural myths, fairy tales, folk tales, and stories chosen from over twenty years of research that help women reconnect with the healthy, instinctual, visionary attributes of the Wild Woman archetype. Dr. Estes collects the bones of many stories, looking for the archetypal motifs that set a woman's inner life into motion. 'La Loba' teaches about the transformative function of the psyche. In 'Bluebeard,' we learn what to do with wounds that will not heal; in 'Skeleton Woman,' we glimpse the mystical power of relationship and how dead feelings can be revived; 'Vasalisa the Wise' brings our lost womanly instincts to the surface again; 'The Handless Maiden' recovers the Wild Woman initiation rites; and 'The Little Match Girl' warns against the insidious dangers of a life spent in fantasy. In these and other stories, we focus on the many qualities of Wild Woman. We retrieve, examine, love, and understand her, and hold her against our deep psyches as one whois both magic and medicine. In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Estes has created a new lexicon for describing the female psyche. Fertile and lifegiving, it is a psychology of women in the truest sense, a knowing of the soul."

Virgil "The Aeneid"

Virgil "The Aeneid" (Latin: Aeneis) - 29-19 BC 

I am not a big fan of poetry and this is the biggest example of a poem, one of the very earliest. I found it hard to follow because I prefer to read a flowing story, prose.

However, I can see why so many of the stories from this have been turned into big screen movies, very successful movies. The stories of the start of the Roman nation, the start of our lives today. Many of us have learned the history of Troy in school and a lot of the other stories that are captured in this poem.

As I said, tough read but I am truly happy I made my way through it and it will stay with me forever, same as "Odyssey", another epic story.

From the back cover:

"The Aeneid of Virgil (70-19 B.C.) describes the legendary origin of the Roman nation. It tells of the Trojan prince Aeneas, who escaped with some followers after Troy fell, and sailed to Italy. Here they settled and laid the foundations of Roman power.

The Aeneid is a poet's picture of the world, where human affairs are controlled by human and superhuman influences. It is a literary epic inspired by Virgil's love of his native Italy and his sense of Rome's destiny as a civilized ruler of nations.

This translation by W.F. Jackson Knight aims to preserve the range, vitality, and music of the original."

Byatt, A.S. "Ragnarok. The End of the Gods"

Byatt, A.S. "Ragnarok. The End of the Gods" - 2011

A retelling of the Norse mythology. I'm not really into fantasy but was interested in this book for two reasons, I thought Norse myths might be interesting and I like A.S. Byatt.

Was it a good enough reason to pick up the book? Not really, the stories were not interesting enough for me to really get engaged.

The best part of the book were the author's "Thoughts on Myth" at the end of the stories where she explains where certain words come from and why she was re-writing something that has been written already a hundred times before.

Still, the author has a great way of telling any story, I guess. That's why I still enjoyed reading the book.

From the back cover:

"The gods have abandoned the earth. A great battle is afoot that could destroy everything. The time of Ragnarok has begun...

Into her account of the end of the gods, the Booker Prize-winning author A. S. Byatt weaves the story of a young girl evacuated to the British countryside during the Second World War. Struggling to make sense of her life, she is given a book of Norse myth, and her inner and outer worlds are transformed."

I have also read "Possession" by A.S. Byatt. It is one of my favourite books. 

Sturluson, Snorri "Egil's Saga"

Sturluson, Snorri "Egil's Saga" (Icelandic: Egils saga Skallagrímssonar) - 1240 

This is certainly one of the oldest books I have ever read (with the exception of "Odyssey"). And it gave me a lot of pleasure. I learned a lot about the Vikings, a lot about history. I am not sure how accurate the historic events are but quite a few seemed familiar.

It's amazing how long a story like that survives, it was written almost nine hundred years ago and you can still read it. This is an authentic historical account of what people did in that time, what people thought about it. It shows us our past but I think it also shows us our future. Because, if we learn one thing from history is that men learn nothing from it, they still keep on fighting each other for pride and glory, even if they claim to have another reason.

Egil was a great poet but he was also a great warrior, a man who would get angry very quickly and his adversaries usually wouldn't get out alive from their differences with him. Excellent, unique story.

From the back cover:

"Demon, killer and drunkard, poet, lawyer and farmer: Egil is the most individual and paradoxical character to emerge from the Icelandic Sagas.

From the time when Egil performs his first murder at the age of six to the more peaceful years of his dotage, he dominates this panoramic Viking history. Ugly, brutal and ruthless on the one hand, intelligent and capable of great sensitivity on the other, he remains an ambivalent figure in the reader's imagination.

Egil's Saga is thought to have been written by Snorri Sturluson in about 1230. Embracing five generations, commencing with Egil's grandfathers and ending with Egil's grandson, it chronicles the wars, rivalries and tensions of the ruling clans of Iceland and Norway. Adding flesh to the bare bones of historical fact and blending invention with legend, the Saga gives a wide-ranging view of life in the Viking world of the ninth and tenth centuries."

Homer "Odyssey"

Homer "Odyssey" (Ancient Greek: Ομήρου Οδύσσεια, Odýsseia) - 800-600 BC

This is an epic story. Everyone has heard of "The Odyssey", and I love classics, so I always wanted to read it.

I am not much into poetry but you can read this almost like a novel, the language is very fluent, one line follows the next without those usual interruptions. However, some sentences can get rather long.

Still, it is interesting to follow this man, Odysseus during his journey through this world and the next in order to get home to his wife and son. He meets Gods and heroes, witches, enemies, difficult, life-threatening situations but survives them all. Even when he comes home, the problems are not ended, yet.

This story is over 2,000 years old and it still captures us today. Definitely worth reading.

Book Description:

"The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer, along with the Illiad, and is one of the most widely popular anicent texts for reading. Composed around 8th century B.C., it is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the first surviving work of Western literature. The poem mainly centers on the Greek hero Odysseus (or Ulysses) and his journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. In his absence, it is assumed he has died, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus must deal with a group of unruly suitors who compete for Penelope's hand in marriage."

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von "Iphigenia in Tauris”"

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von "Iphigenia in Tauris" (German: Iphigenie auf Tauris) - 1787

A play by Goethe, one of the books you have to read in the German high school. Iphigenia is the daughter of Agamemnon who offers her to the goddess Artemis. Even though the goddess rescues Iphigenia and takes her to the island of Tauris, a lot of things happen as a consequence.

I am not a big fan of reading plays, I rather watch them. However, this is a very interesting story that teaches a lot about Greek mythology.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.

From the back cover:

"Goethe wrote in the early 1800's. His works encompassed poetry, drama, literature, theology, science, painting, and humanism. This romantic play begins in tragedy and progresses through several perilous adventures to its happy conclusion. Iphigenia is sacrificed to the goddess Artemis by her father. Artemis saves her and makes her a priestess. It was Iphigenia's role to consecrate the barbarian victims before they were sacrificed. She wants revenge on the Greeks and waits for one to come to be sacrificed. When a Greek finally arrives she does not initially recognize him as her brother."

I also read "The Sorrows of Young Werther".

Coelho, Paulo "Brida"

Coelho, Paulo "Brida" (Portuguese: Brida) - 1990

After reading "The Alchemist", I had to read another Coelho. Would it have been the same if I had started with this one. Certainly not. Even though the subject is somewhat related, I couldn't link with the characters. A young girl who wants to become a witch or a magician and is willing to give up the love of her life for that.

Even though this is also a quest for the meaning of life, it didn't speak to me the same way. There must be a reason it took 18 years that this book was translated into English (although, having said that, it usually takes a little longer for foreign books to be translated into English but Paulo Coelho is an internationally highly acclaimed author).

Maybe it is not fair to compare this to a masterpiece as "The Alchemist" but it's difficult not to do that. If it had been written by another author and my expectations hadn't been that high, I might actually have loved this book.

From the back cover:

"This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom, who begin to teach Brida about the spiritual world. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her about overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world; and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and how to pray to the moon. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch. This enthralling novel incorporates themes that fans of Paulo Coelho will recognize and treasure - it is a tale of love, passion, mystery, and spirituality from the master storyteller. "

Coelho, Paulo "The Alchemist"

Coelho, Paulo "The Alchemist: A Fable about Following Your Dream" (Portuguese: O Alquimista) - 1988

My first Coelho. Certainly not my last. This novel was fantastic, what a great author. He is able to use the words in a way that is just plain admirable. He is a poet, his sentences are so beautiful.

He gives us a Medieval story about mysticism and superstition, about life back then in several areas. From Andalusia, Spain to Tangiers, Northern Africa and finally to Egypt, the Alchemist takes a long journey and not only in distance. A philosophical story, what are you willing to sacrifice for your dream, what are you willing to do for it.

One of the most important quotes: "Those who don't understand their personal legends will fail to comprehend its teachings."

This is a story that will never leave you.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.

From the back cover:

"This is the magical story of Santiago, a shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world to seek the most wonderful treasures known to man. From his home in Spain, he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and, from there, into the Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.

Coelho's fascinating storytelling, with its mixture of spirituality, magical realism and folklore, makes The Alchemist a story that will delight any reader and inspire us all to follow our dreams."

I also read "Brida" which didn't impress me as much, unfortunately.

Hamsun, Knut "Pan"

Hamsun, Knut "Pan" (Norwegian: Pan) - 1894

We were lucky to have a Norwegian member who is a huge fan of this author, she was the right mediator between us and the world Knut Hamsun takes us too.

She had a difficult time to choose her favourite book of her favourite author, the other good ones according to her: "Victoria", "Hunger", "Growth of the Soil". She studied this one at school.

It’s fascinating how the author describes nature and makes it come alive. He smells the forest, paints a picture, reminds us of our youth, love, culture, nature, civilization. It’s an echo of childhood and youth for some of us, the inner soul of the human being, he loved to explore that. There is a struggle between opposites, men and women, nature and town, the love story is eminent, there are obstacles, pride, jealousy.

• We liked the symbolism and the metaphors, e.g. the changing seasons.
  
  
• Mythology plays a big part in the novel, the division between his love of nature and with people, we were taken by his love of nature.
  
  
• The descriptions both of nature as well as the characters are beautiful. There were a lot of interactive descriptions as well as psychological analogies and comparisons.
  
  
• Someone approached the book with an obtuse mind, yet, she could identify.
  
  
• Conclusion: this tells us something about the dream and the longing, better than the life itself.
  
  
• And even though not all of us were swept away by the story, we agreed it had been a very interesting read.
  
  
• The question came up whether his characters in other novels are also dysfunctional? The answer to that: absolutely. He investigates the mind. His love to nature is tremendous, there is some extreme nature above the arctic circle.
  
  
• Knut Hamsum was and is one of the favourite authors of many of his colleagues, even other Nobel prize recipients like Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse and Ernest Hemingway. He has influenced all sorts of literature and not just written his own. Definitely deserved his Nobel Prize.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2023.

From the back cover:

"One of Knut Hamsun's most famous works, "Pan" is the story of Lieutenant Thomas Glahn, an ex-military man who lives alone in the woods with his faithful dog Aesop. Glahn's life changes when he meets Edvarda, a merchant's daughter, whom he quickly falls in love with. She, however, is not entirely faithful to him, which affects him profoundly. "Pan" is a fascinating study in the psychological impact of unrequited love and helped to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for Hamsun."

We discussed this in our international book club in March 2011.

Knut Hamsun received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1920 "for his monumental work, 'Growth of the Soil'". 

I contribute to this page: Read the Nobels and you can find all my blogs about Nobel Prize winning authors and their books here.