We think the way we do because Socrates thought the way he did. His aphorism 'The unexamined life is not worth living' may have originated twenty-five centuries ago, but it is a founding principle of modern life. Socrates lived and contributed to a city that nurtured key ingredients of contemporary civilisation - democracy, liberty, science, drama, rational thought - yet, as he wrote nothing in his lifetime, he himself is an enigmatic figure. "The Hemlock Cup" gives Socrates the biography he deserves, setting him in the context of the Eastern Mediterranean that was his home, and dealing with him as he himself dealt with the world. Socrates was a soldier, a lover, a man of the people. He philosophised neither in grand educational establishments nor the courts of kings but in the squares and public arenas of Golden Age Athens. He lived through an age of extraordinary materialism, in which a democratic culture turned to the glorification of its own city; when war was declared under the banner of democracy; and, when tolerance turned into intimidation on streets once populated by the likes of Euripides, Sophocles and Pericles. For seventy years he was a vigorous citizen of one of the greatest capitals on earth, but then his beloved Athens turned on him, condemning him to death by poison. Socrates' pursuit of personal liberty is a vibrant story that Athens did not want us to hear, but which must be told. Bettany Hughes has painstakingly pieced together Socrates' life, following in his footsteps across Greece and Asia Minor, and examining the new archaeological discoveries that shed light on his world. In "The Hemlock Cup" she reveals the human heart of the man, and relates a story that is as relevant now as it has ever been.
| ISBN | 0224071785 | | Pages | 544 | | ISBN13 | 9780224071789
(What's this?) | | Weight (grammes) | 846 | | Publisher | Vintage | | Published in | London | | Imprint | Jonathan Cape Ltd | | Height (mm) | 240 | | Format | Hardback | | Width (mm) | 162 | | Publication date | 07 Oct 2010 | | Spine width (mm) | 46 | | DEWEY | 184 | | Academic level | General | | DEWEY edition | DC22 | |
|
|
|
"The Hemlock Cup is another vibrant and atmospheric work from this well-known promotor of the ancient world." --Michael Scott, "BBC History Magazine""In The Hemlock Cup Bettany Hughes does a very good job of recreating the material world in which Socrates lived... She is up to date on recent archaeological discoveries... she writes frankly of the nastiness of the world in which Socrates grew up and lived."--Mary Beard, " Sunday Times"
Blackwell review: An exciting new biography of Socrates from a high profile author and television personality. Bettany Hughes will be appearing at Blackwell Bookshop in Oxford on Monday October 11th to promote the book.
An exciting new biography of Socrates from a high profile author and television personality. Bettany Hughes will be appearing at Blackwell Bookshop in Oxford on Monday October 11th to promote the book.
An exciting new biography of Socrates from a high profile author and television personality. Bettany Hughes will be appearing at Blackwell Bookshop in Oxford on Monday October 11th to promote the book.
Read all reviews Customer reviews: 
Be the first to write a
customer review
Enlarge
