Clouds Birds Frogs and Me

<p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Here is my autobiography. If you want to know why I think it is important to release it now the ‎reasons are compelling. People no longer have any idea what it was like to live in Athens in my ‎time. To the extent people think about it all they think of the literature the philosophy the ‎architecture and the trappings of the democracy. They don't think about how we actually spent our ‎time. This may explain why we have lost the capacity for reasoned debate we can no longer tell ‎truth from falsehood we have trouble getting the rich to pay for public goods and we discuss basic ‎human urges with a strange combination of prurience and shame. Today's world has a lot to learn ‎from mine. And besides I am a comic and my life was funny. We seem to have forgotten how ‎much fun life should be. </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Aristophanes.‎</em></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>This is a joyous revelation. The world of 5th century Athens is brought into vibrant life through the ‎eyes and work of the one and only Aristophanes the comic genius of his age. Satire and mockery ‎reveal the truth about a society (including ours) more than tragedy which is better at revealing ‎truths about individuals. High time we heard from a great comic spirit and reminded ourselves that ‎the Greek world was not all orators philosophers mathematicians and tragedians. There was the ‎juicy riot of humanity in there and all brought together by the hilarious wise and companionable ‎voice of Aristophanes* himself. A fabulous read. - </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Sir Stephen Fry.‎</em></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Aristophanes in his own non-dramatic words - who knew they could be so amusing? - </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Paul ‎Cartledge Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture University of Cambridge author of Aristophanes ‎and his Theatre of the Absurd.‎</em></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>The comic poet Aristophanes is your guide to fifth century Athens in his hilarious and informative ‎Clouds Birds Frogs and Me - William Fitzgerald Emeritus Professor of Classics Kings College ‎London.‎</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Phenomenal! -</span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> EE Cohen</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> Professor of Classics and Ancient History University of Pennsylvania</span></p><p><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>* As told to Peter Acton</em></p><p></p>