Stesichorus in Context

The sixth-century BC Greek poet Stesichorus was highly esteemed in antiquity, but by about AD 400 his works had been almost completely lost. Over recent decades, however, the recovery of substantial portions of his poetry has enabled a reassessment of his signifi cance. Th ese essays by leading scholars analyse diff erent aspects of his oeuvre: the relationship between Stesichorus and epic, particularly his response to the Homeric poems; his narrative technique and his handling of erotic themes; and his infl uence and reception in fi ft hcentury Athens, in Hellenistic scholarship and poetry, in the Renaissance, and in poetry today. Th e volume as a whole-the fi rst dedicated to this author-amply demonstrates the extraordinary creativity and continuing vitality of the poet from Himera.