The Greek satirist Lucian was a brilliantly entertaining writer who invented the comic dialogue as a vehicle for satiric comment. His influence was immense, not only in the Greek world, but on later European writers such as Rabelais and Swift. His dialogues puncture the pretensions of pompous philosophers and describe the daily lives of Greek courtesans; they are peopled by politicians, historians and ordinary citizens, as well as by gods and mythic figures. This selection provides a cross-section of Lucian`s styles and satirical targets, from serious polemic to lighter squibs and character portrayals. It includes How to Write History and his most famous piece, A True History , a fabulous tale of space travel and a monstrous whale which prefigures the fantasies of Jules Verne.

This lively new translation is both accurate and idiomatic, and the introduction highlights Lucian`s importance in his own and later times.


Introduction
Praise of the Fly
The Dream
Charon
Timon
Icaromenippus, or High Above the Clouds
Nigrinus
The Death of Peregrinus
Alexander
Demonax
Hermotimus, or On Philosophical Schools
Lovers of Lies, or The Sceptic
How to Write History
A True History I
A True History II
Dialogues of the Courtesans
Explanatory Notes