| Greek Literature |
| Ancient Greek Literature (until 4th century AD) |
| Byzantine Literature (4th - 15th century) |
| Modern Greek Literature (post 11th century) |
| History of Literature |
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| Bronze Age literature: |
| Classical literatures: |
| Medieval literature |
| Early Modern literature |
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Greek literature refers to those writings autochthonic to the areas of Greek influence, typically though not necessarily in one of the Greek dialects, throughout the whole period in which the Greek-speaking peoples have existed. Greek literature refers to those writings autochthonic to the areas of Greek influence typically though not necessarily in one of the Greek dialects throughout the Byzantine literature may be defined as the Greek literature of the Middle Ages, whether written in the territory of the Byzantine Empire or outside Modern Greek literature refers to Literature written in the Greek language from the 11th century with texts written in a language that is more familiar to the ears The history of literature is the historical development of Writings in Prose or Poetry which attempt to provide Entertainment, enlightenment The History of literature begins with the History of writing, in Bronze Age Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, although the oldest literary Sumerian literature is the oldest literature in the worldThe Sumerians invented the first writing system beginning with cuneiform Logograms Ancient Egyptian literature comprises texts written in the Egyptian language during the pharaonic period of Egypt. Babylonian literature is one of the world's oldest Drawing on the traditions of Sumerian literature, the Babylonians compiled a vast textual tradition of mythological A classical language, is a language with a Literature that is "classical"&mdashie "it should be ancient it should be an independent tradition that arose mostly Chinese classic texts or Chinese canonical texts ( refer to the pre- Qin Chinese texts especially the Confucian Four Books and Five Classics Ancient Greek literature refers to Literature written in the Greek language until the 4th century AD Latin literature, the body of written works in the Latin language remains an enduring legacy of the culture of Ancient Rome. Middle Persian literature is Persian literature of the 1st millennium AD, especially of the Sassanid period Pali literature is concerned mainly with Theravada Buddhism, of which Pali is the traditional language Literature in Sanskrit begins with the Vedas, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical Syriac literature is Literature written in the Syriac language, an eastern Aramaic language. Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years 300 BCE and 600 CE Medieval literature is a broad subject encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe beyond and during the Middle Ages (encompassing the one thousand Anglo-Saxon literature (or Old English literature) encompasses Literature written in Anglo-Saxon (Old English during the 600-year Anglo-Saxon Arabic literature ( Arabic: الأدب العربي Al-Adab Al-Arabi) is the writing produced both Prose and Poetry, by speakers Byzantine literature may be defined as the Greek literature of the Middle Ages, whether written in the territory of the Byzantine Empire or outside Medieval French literature is for the purpose of this article Literature written in Oïl languages (particularly Old French and early Middle Medieval German literature refers to Literature written in Germany stretching from the Carolingian dynasty; various dates have been given for the end of the See also Israeli literature. Hebrew literature consists of ancient medieval and modern writings in the Hebrew language. Indian literature is generally acknowledged as one of the oldest in the world The earliest Irish authors It is unclear when literacy first came to Ireland This is a list of Japanese classic texts. These classical works of Japanese literature are grouped by genres in a chronological order Kannada literature is the body of literature of Kannada, a Dravidian language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Nepal Bhasa literature refers to Literature in Nepal Bhasa History Nepal Bhasa has a long history as regards literature Old Norse literature refers to the vernacular literature of the Scandinavian peoples up to ca Persian literature ( spans two and a half millennia though much of the pre- Islamic material has been lost Mediaeval Welsh literature is the literature written in the Welsh language during the Middle Ages. The History of literature of the Early Modern period ( 16th, 17th and partly 18th century literature) Renaissance Literature refers to the period in European literature, which began in Italy during the 15th century and spread around Europe through Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc The History of literature in the Modern period in Europe begins with the Age of Enlightenment and the conclusion of the Baroque period in the 18th century See also 17th century in literature, other events of the 18th century, 19th century in literature, List of years in literature. See also 18th century in literature, other events of the 19th century, 20th century in literature, List of years in literature. See also 19th century in literature, other events of the 20th century, 21st century in literature, List of years in literature. The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions The Culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years with its beginnings in the Mycenaean and Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece Greece has a rich and varied artistic history spanning some 5000 years Greece has a long and rich cinematic history The country that gave rise to Western civilisation has produced many famous film actors and directors The Greek cuisine ( Greek: Ελληνική Κουζίνα is Greece's traditional Cuisine, a typical Mediterranean cuisine Contemporary Greek dance is a very old tradition being referred to by ancient authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. The Culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years with its beginnings in the Mycenaean and Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece The musical legacy of Greece is as diverse as its history. Cypriot music has certain similarities to traditional Greek Music, and their Ancient Greek philosophy focused on the role of Reason and Inquiry. The Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία Hellēnorthódoxē Ekklēsía) is formed by several autocephalous churches The Culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years with its beginnings in the Mycenaean and Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece Television broadcasting in Greece began in 1966 with the first network EPT (Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi broadcasting out of Athens, as a state-owned Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía The Greek diaspora (ελληνική διασπορά elliniki diaspora) is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside of the traditional Antiochian Greeks are the members of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch who have resided in the territory of contemporary Turkish province of Hatay. Cappadocian, also known as Cappadocian Greek or Asia Minor Greek is a dialect of the Greek language, formerly spoken in Cappadocia (Central Turkey Greek Cypriots ( Greek: Ελληνοκύπριοι Turkish: Kıbrıslı Rumlar are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus. Greek Muslims, also known as Greek-speaking Muslims, are Muslims of Greek ethnic origin and are found primarily in Turkey, Cyprus Hayhurum is the name given to Armenian -speaking Christians who are members of Greek Orthodox Church. The Karamanlides ( Greek: Καραμανλήδες; Turkish: Karamanlılar) or simply Karamanlis, are a Greek Orthodox The Maniots (or Maniates; Greek Μανιάτες) are the Greek inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula (the middle leg of the Peloponnese located The term Pontic Greeks, Pontian Greeks, Pontians or Greeks of Pontus (Πόντιοι Ποντιακός Ελληνισμός or gr Έλληνες The Romaniotes ( Greek: Ρωμανιώτες, Rōmaniōtes are a Jewish population who have lived in the territory of today's Greece and The Sarakatsani (Σαρακατσάνοι are a group of Greek transhumant shepherds in Greece. Tsakonians ( Greek: Τσάκωνες Tsákones) are an ethnic Greek population group speakers of the Tsakonian dialect or more broadly Urums, singular Urum u'rum ( Greek: Ουρούμ Urúm, Turkish: Urum, Crimean Tatar: Urum) is a broad historical The Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία Hellēnorthódoxē Ekklēsía) is formed by several autocephalous churches The Roman Catholic Church in Greece is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome The Greek Byzantine Catholic Church is a Sui iuris Particular Church within the Catholic Church and uses the Byzantine liturgical rite The Greek Evangelical Church ( Greek: Ελληνική Ευαγγελική Εκκλησία Elliniki Evangeliki Ekklisia) is a Protestant denomination in There have been organized Jewish communities in Greece for more than two thousand years Islam in Greece is represented by a number of autochthonous and immigrant communities Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism (also Hellenic Reconstructionism) refers to various reconstructionist movements that revive ancient Greek religious practices Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Cappadocian, also known as Cappadocian Greek or Asia Minor Greek is a dialect of the Greek language, formerly spoken in Cappadocia (Central Turkey Cretan Greek ( Cretan dialect &mdash in Greek, Kritikí diálektos &ndash Κρητική διάλεκτος or Kritiká Κρητικά Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is a Modern Greek dialect which is spoken by people in the Magna Graecia region in southern Italy, and it The Cypriot Dialect of Greek ( Cypriot Greek ( Κυπριακή διάλεκτος) or Kypriaka ( Greek: Κυπριακά Pontic Greek is a form of the Greek language originally spoken in the Pontus area on the southern shores of the Black Sea, and today mainly in Greece Tsakonian, Tzakonian or Tsakonic ( Greek Τσακωνικά) is a dialect of modern Greek spoken in the Tsakonian region Yevanic, otherwise known as Romaniote and Judeo-Greek, was the Dialect of the Romaniotes, the group of Greek Jews whose existence in Megleno-Romanian (known as Vlăheşte by speakers and Moglenitic, Meglenitic or Megleno-Romanian by linguists is a Romance language Aromanian ( limba armãneascã, armãneshce or armãneashti) also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach in most Arvanitika or Arvanitic ( Albanian: Arbërisht, Greek: αρβανίτικα arvanitika) is the variety of Albanian The Slavic dialects of Greece are the dialects of Bulgarian or Macedonian spoken by minority groups in the regions of Macedonia and Thrace Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Urum is a Turkic language spoken by several thousand people who inhabit a few villages in the Southeastern Ukraine and in Diaspora communities world The History of Greece traditionally encompasses the study of the Greek people, the areas they ruled historically and the territory now composing the modern state of The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions
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Ancient Greek literature ( Before AD 300 )
Ancient Greek literature refers to literature written in Ancient Greek from the oldest surviving written works in the Greek language until approximately the fifth century AD and the rise of the Byzantine Empire. Ancient Greek literature refers to Literature written in the Greek language until the 4th century AD Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Greek language arose from the proto-Indo-European language, though roughly one-third of its words cannot be derived from various reconstructions of that tongue. A number of alphabets and syllabaries had been used to render Greek, but surviving Greek literature was written in a Phoenician-derived alphabet that arose primarily in Greek Ionia and was fully adopted by Athens by the fifth century BC.
Preclassical
At the beginning of Greek literature stand the two monumental works of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. Though dates of composition vary, these works were fixed around 800 BC or after. Homeric scholarship is the study of Homeric epic, especially the two large surviving epics the Iliad and Odyssey. The other great poet of the preclassical period was Hesiod. Hesiod ( Greek: Hesiodos) was an early Greek Poet and Rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BCE His two surviving works are Works and Days and Theogony. Works and Days (in Ancient Greek / Erga kaí Hemérai, which sometimes goes by the Latin name Opera et Dies, as in the OCT) Theogony ( Greek: Θεογονία theogonia = the birth of God(s is a Poem by Hesiod describing the origins and genealogies Some ancients thought Homer and Hesiod roughly contemporaneous, even rivals in contests, but modern scholarship raises doubts on these issues.
Classical
In the classical period many of the genres of western literature became more prominent. Lyrical poetry, odes, pastorals, elegies, epigrams; dramatic presentations of comedy and tragedy; histories, rhetorical treatises, philosophical dialectics, and philosophical treatise all arose in this period. As the genres evolved, various expectations arose, such that a particular poetic genre came to require the Doric or Lesbos dialect.
The two major lyrical poets were Sappho and Pindar. Sappho (ˈsæfoʊ in English Attic Greek el Σαπφώ sapːʰɔː Aeolic Greek el Ψάπφω) was an Ancient Greek lyric Pindar (ˈpɪndɚ (or Pindarus, Greek:) (probably born 522 BC in Cynoscephalae a village in Boeotia; died 443 BC in Argos) was an Ancient The Classical era also saw the dawn of drama. Of the hundreds of tragedies written and performed during the classical age, only a limited number of plays by three authors have survived: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Aeschylus (ˈɛskɨləs or /ˈiːskɨləs/ Greek: Ασχύλος, Aischylos, 525 BC/524 BC 456 BC/455 BC was an ancient Greek Playwright Sophocles (ˈsɒfəkliːz Ancient Greek, sopʰoklɛ̂ːs circa Euripides ( Ancient Greek:) (ca 480 BC–406 BC was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus
Like tragedy, the comedy arose from a ritual in honor of Dionysus, but in this case the plays were full of frank obscenity, abuse, and insult. In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman The surviving plays by Aristophanes are a treasure trove of comic presentation. Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης ˌærɪˈstɒfəniːz in English ca Menander is considered the best of the writers of the New Comedy. Menander ( Greek:, Menandros; ca 342&ndash291 BC Greek Dramatist, the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy, was the son
Two of the most influential historians who had yet lived flourished during Greece's classical age: Herodotus and Thucydides. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash Thucydides ( C 460 BC &ndash C 395 BC) ( Greek Θουκυδίδης Thoukydídēs) was a Greek A third historian, Xenophon, began his "Hellenica" where Thucydides ended his work about 411 BC and carried his history to 362 BC. Xenophon (Ancient Greek, Modern Greek "Ξενοφών" "Ξενοφώντας" ca
The greatest prose achievement of the 4th century was in philosophy. Among the tide of Greek philosophy, three names tower above the rest: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. SOCRATES is the European Community action programme in the field of Education. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.
Hellenistic
By 338 BC many of the key Greek city-states had been conquered by Philip II of Macedon. Philip II of Macedon, ( Greek: Φίλιππος Β' ο Μακεδών &mdash φίλος = friend + ίππος = Horse Philip II's son Alexander the Great extended his father's conquests greatly. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' The Greek colony of Alexandria in northern Egypt became, from the 3rd century BC, the outstanding center of Greek culture.
Later Greek poetry flourished primarily in the 3rd century BC. The chief poets were Theocritus, Callimachus, and Apollonius of Rhodes. Theocritus, who lived from about 310 to 250 BC, was the creator of pastoral poetry, a type that the Roman Virgil mastered in his Eclogues.
One of the most valuable contributions of the Hellenistic period was the translation of the Old Testament into Greek. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. The work was done at Alexandria and completed by the end of the 2nd century BC. The name Septuagint means "seventy," from the tradition that there were 72 scholars who did the work.
Roman Age
The significant historians in the period after Alexander were Timaeus, Polybius, Diodorus Siculus, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Appian of Alexandria, Arrian, and Plutarch. Polybius (ca 203 &ndash 120 BC, Greek) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his book called The Histories The period of time they cover extended from late in the 4th century BC to the 2nd century AD.
Eratosthenes of Alexandria, who died about 194 BC, wrote on astronomy and geography, but his work is known mainly from later summaries. Eratosthenes of Cyrene ( Greek; 276 BC - 194 BC was a Greek Mathematician, Poet, athlete, Geographer and The physician Galen, in the history of ancient science, is the most significant person in medicine after Hippocrates, who laid the foundation of medicine in the 5th century BC.
Patristic literature was written in the Hellenistic Greek of this period. Koine Greek (Κοινὴ Ἑλληνική, "common Greek" or, ciˈni ðiˈale̞kto̞s "the common dialect" is the popular form of Greek which emerged in Syria and Alexandria, especially, flourished. Alexandria was defeated
Byzantine (AD 290-1453)
Byzantine literature refers to literature of the Byzantine Empire written in Atticizing, Medieval and early Modern Greek. Byzantine literature may be defined as the Greek literature of the Middle Ages, whether written in the territory of the Byzantine Empire or outside Attic Greek is the Prestige dialect of Ancient Greece that was spoken in Attica, which includes Athens. Medieval Greek (Μεσαιωνική Ελληνική is a linguistic term that describes the fourth period in the history of the Greek language. Modern Greek (el Νέα Ελληνικά or el Νεοελληνική lit
If Byzantine literature is the expression of the intellectual life of the Byzantine Greeks during the Christian Middle Ages, then it is a multiform organism, combining Greek and Christian civilization on the common foundation of the Roman political system, set in the intellectual and ethnographic atmosphere of the Near East. Byzantine Greeks or Byzantines or Romaioi, is a conventional term used by modern historians to refer to the medieval Greek or Hellenized citizens Byzantine literature partakes of four different cultural elements: the Greek, the Christian, the Roman, and the Oriental, the character of which commingling with the rest. To Hellenistic intellectual culture and Roman governmental organization are added the emotional life of Christianity and the world of Oriental imagination, the last enveloping all the other three. This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings [1]
Aside from personal correspondence, literature of this period was primarily written in the Atticizing style. Atticism (meaning favouring Attica, the region that includes Athens) in Greece) was a rhetorical movement that began in the first quarter Some early literature of this period was written in Latin; some of the works from the Latin Empire were written in French. The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople (original Latin name Imperium Romaniae, " Empire of Romania " is the
Chronicles, distinct from histories, arose in this period. Encyclopedias also flourished in this period.
Modern Greek (post 1453)
Modern Greek literature refers to literature written in common Modern Greek, emerging from late Byzantine times in the 11th century AD. Modern Greek literature refers to Literature written in the Greek language from the 11th century with texts written in a language that is more familiar to the ears Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter Modern Greek (el Νέα Ελληνικά or el Νεοελληνική lit During this period, spoken Greek became more prevalent in the written tradition, as demotic Greek came to be used more and more over the Attic idiom and the katharevousa reforms. Dimotiki (δημοτική, " of the people" or Demotic is the modern Vernacular form of the Greek language. Katharevousa (Καθαρεύουσα, lit "the purified one" is a form of the Greek language conceived in the early 19th century by Greek intellectual
Erotokritos is undoubtedly the masterpiece of this period, and perhaps the supreme achievement of modern Greek literature. Erotokritos ( Greek Ερωτόκριτος) is a romance composed by Vitsentzos Kornaros in early 17th century Crete. It is a verse romance written around 1600 by Vitsentzos Kornaros (1553-1613). Vitsentzos Kornaros (Βικέντιος or Βιτσέντζος Κορνάρος or Vincenzo Cornaro ( March 29 1553 – 1613/1614 was a Cretan
The Korakistika (1819), a lampoon written by Jakovakis Rizos Neroulos and directed against the Greek intellectual Adamantios Korais, is a major example of the Greek Enlightenment and emerging nationalism. Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Adamantios Korais or Coraïs (Αδαμάντιος Κοραής April 27 1748&ndashApril 6 1833 was a humanist scholar credited with laying the foundations of Modern
Contemporary Greek literature
Contemporary Greek literature is typically written in the monotonic Greek alphabet. Some of the most renowned representatives of modern Greek literature include:
- Dionysios Solomos
- Andreas Kalvos
- Georgios Vizyinos
- Alexandros Papadiamantis
- Kostis Palamas
- Constantine P. Cavafy
- Nikos Kazantzakis
- Angelos Sikelianos
- Kostas Varnalis
- Andreas Embirikos
- Nikos Engonopoulos
- Giorgos Seferis
- Odysseas Elytis
- Manolis Anagnostakis
- Yannis Ritsos
- Angelos Sikelianos
- Antonis Samarakis
- Takis Varvitsiotis
- Kiki Dimoula
- Dimitris P. Kraniotis
- Vassilis Vassilikos
- Kostas Karyotakis
- Nikos Kavvadias
- Giorgos Chimonas
- Christoforos Liontakis
- Jenny Mastoraki
- Maro Douka
- Yannis Kondos
- Kostis Gimossoulis
- Vassilis Steriadis
- Lefteris Poulios
See also
External links
- Greek and Roman love poetry, BBC Radio 4, In Our Time, 26 April 2007
- Greek Authors on the Web
- Synopsis of the most famous works and author pictures
References
- ^ adapted from Karl Dieterich, "Byzantine Literature", Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911
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