Lucian

Lucian's Dialogues of the Gods

In this singular and uproarious collection of comic dialogues, Lucian of Samosata, writing in the second century AD, eavesdrops on the gods themselves and presents us with a sensational peek behind the curtain of life on Mount Olympus. Here is Zeus, bickering with his wife Hera over his latest infidelity; there is Eros, in trouble again for his mischievous matchmaking; and there are Hermes, Apollo, Pan, Aphrodite, and all the rest of the pantheon, each with their own foibles, and each unknowingly scandalising themselves with their every utterance. While previous editions have been heavily edited, this new collection draws on historical sources to present the Dialogues in their entirety, featuring a novel typographic layout, and including an introductory essay and extensive appendices.