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A Bold New Exploration of the Ancient World
by James Davidson
The first comprehensive look at homosexuality in ancient Greece since the advent of the gay rights movement, The Greeks and Greek Love upends commonly held misconceptions about same-sex love in the Classical period. With a lively voice, a bawdy sense of humor, and a gift for narrative, James Davidson brings to life the men of Greece and conducts a nuanced investigation of their relationships—both romantic and platonic—in the gymnasiums, on the battlefield, and at symposiums. He describes how homosexuality influenced politics, religion, culture, the law, and nearly every civic institution throughout ancient Greece, raising fundamental questions about the power of culture and human sexuality.
"A highly erudite work of social and cultural history." - The Guardian (London).
"[A] massive work of research, reflection and surprise." - Daily Telegraph (London).
"Massively informed and informative ... [a] vital and outstanding study." - The Spectator (London).
"A landmark in gay studies ... James Davidson's revisionist account emerges with winning charm." - Time Out London.
"Starred Review. Davidson's study is brilliant social history and a first-rate history of classical Greece." - Publishers Weekly.
"The nonspecialist may be overwhelmed by the level of detail here, but the author is an engaging, often humorous writer, which should give the book a broader appeal." - Library Journal
This information about The Greeks and Greek Love was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
James Davidson is a classical scholar and history professor at the University of Warwick in England. He is the author of Courtesans and Fishcakes: The Consuming Passions of Classical Athens and is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books, among other journals. He lives in London.
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