Author:Aeschylus
Aeschylus (525–456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. In Prometheus Bound the defiant Titan Prometheus is brutally punished by Zeus for daring to improve the state of wretchedness and servitude in which mankind is kept. The Suppliants tells the story of the fifty daughters of Danaus who must flee to escape enforced marriages, while Seven Against Thebes shows the inexorable downfall of the last members of the cursed family of Oedipus. And The Persians, the only Greek tragedy to deal with events from recent Athenian history, depicts the aftermath of the defeat of Persia in the battle of Salamis, with a sympathetic portrayal of its disgraced King Xerxes.
Philip Vellacott’s evocative translation is accompanied by an introduction, with individual discussions of the plays, and their sources in history and mythology.
His is a voice which Europe cannot afford to ignore.
—— GuardianHis observation of human nature in all its facets is wonderfully accurate.
—— Sunday TelegraphOne of Maalouf's most subtle books, and without doubt one of his most accomplished.
—— Le PointSparkling and erudite, this is a wonderful novel.
—— IndependentA splendid book that should be read in the way one looks at a highly coloured fresco, allowing oneself to be transported by the breeze that wafts Balthasar on the most unexpected journeys.
—— Josette Alia , Nouvel ObservateurTerrific
—— Sunday TimesIndeed, if you want to understand what's going on in the world at this moment, you could certainly do worse than to read Maalouf on the past
—— GuardianA fine, unusual and rich book
—— Independent on Sunday[A] wonderful tale-its bewildered and worldly hero, facing a chaotic universe, makes this meticulously researched historical novel uniquely relevant
—— Scotland on Sunday