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Aleksander's Antiquities #3
A Meeting In Oea: Or, Concerning Plato
The quirkiest, zaniest, funniest book about Plato ever written by a scholar. Or anyone.Meet Apuleius, Rome's all-time best-selling author (of The Golden Ass, no less!), a Platonic scholar, a part-time magician, and a dowry-hunter, as he works on his treatise on Plato at night and schemes to marry a rich African widow by day.An overview of Plato's life and work as seen through the eyes of an engaging second-century AD Roman provincial, written in a lively, conversational style with occasional--but not too overwhelming--flashes of literary genius.Aleksander Krawczuk's books on Greece and Rome have shaped three generations of antique lovers in Europe.They have been huge best-sellers because of their unassuming reading him feels like taking part in a pleasant chat after a nice dinner by the fireside, with a glass of sherry in hand.His topics are important and may at first seem forbidding, but the good professor finds a way to talk about them in an unassuming way without dumbing them down in the process.My personal favorite of all of Krawczuk's books. A feast.Give yourself a blast. Pick up your copy today.
- GenresHistorical
201 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Aleksander Krawczuk
42 books29 followersAleksander Krawczuk is a Polish historian and academic. He was a Minister of Culture from 1986 to 1989.
During World War II he was a soldier in the Home Army . In 1949 he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow . He worked at the same university, specialized in the history of antiquity. Since 1985 - professor. He published many scientific and popular science works on ancient history, as well as novels on historical topics and essays.
In 1986-1989 he was the Minister of Culture of Poland in the governments of Zbigniew Messner and Mieczysław Rakowski . From 1991 to 1997 - Deputy of the Seimas from the Union of Democratic Left Forces.
November 11, 1997 was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland. In 2009 he received the gold medal "For merit in the culture of Gloria Artis"
During World War II he was a soldier in the Home Army . In 1949 he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow . He worked at the same university, specialized in the history of antiquity. Since 1985 - professor. He published many scientific and popular science works on ancient history, as well as novels on historical topics and essays.
In 1986-1989 he was the Minister of Culture of Poland in the governments of Zbigniew Messner and Mieczysław Rakowski . From 1991 to 1997 - Deputy of the Seimas from the Union of Democratic Left Forces.
November 11, 1997 was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland. In 2009 he received the gold medal "For merit in the culture of Gloria Artis"
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 27, 2018
Narazie jedyny utwór w dorobku prof. Krawczuka, który można zaliczyć do typowej powieści. W porównaniu do innych dzieł autora uległ zmianie sposób narracji (pierwszooosobowa).
Tym razem czytelnik śledzi losy trzech postaci. Pierwszą warstwą są dzieje rzymskiego filozofa Apolloniusza prowadzącego badania nad dziejami Platona. Losy Greka to kolejna warstwa fabularna, niemniej ściśle oparta na zachowanych listach i dokumentach. Ostatnia, a właściwie druga, to dzieje Sokratesa, ale spisane oczyma Platona. Nieco chaotycznie przedstawione, ale słuchało mi się dobrze.
Tym razem czytelnik śledzi losy trzech postaci. Pierwszą warstwą są dzieje rzymskiego filozofa Apolloniusza prowadzącego badania nad dziejami Platona. Losy Greka to kolejna warstwa fabularna, niemniej ściśle oparta na zachowanych listach i dokumentach. Ostatnia, a właściwie druga, to dzieje Sokratesa, ale spisane oczyma Platona. Nieco chaotycznie przedstawione, ale słuchało mi się dobrze.
August 19, 2023
In “A Meeting in Oea or, Concerning Plato” by Aleksander Krawczuk, and translated by Tom Pinch, the non-fiction book appears to be stories within stories. A Platonic scholar, Apuleius, who is also Rome's all time best-selling author, is delayed in his trip to research Plato in Alexandria. While on a layover at the home of his friend’s mother, he becomes embroiled in his friend’s personal life. Woven in between are his thoughts on the life and times of Plato and Aristotle as well as his own thoughts about life.
The story provides much information about Plato’s life and work in the 5th century, as well as information on Apuleius in the 2nd century. Paradoxically, Apeuleius has to deal with his own ideas of virtue especially with his own thoughts about marrying his friend’s very wealthy mother.
In the beginning, I thought the book convoluted. The journey at the beginning of the book lost me. I am not from that time period or from that part of the world. It needs a basic map for illustration. Where is Oea? I finally found it on Wikipedia.
I almost quit reading this because I got bogged down in the philosophical arguments, rather than what happened in Plato’s or the narrator’s life. I agreed to review this book because I thought it was more like a biography of Plato and the gentleman. I was more interested in the men and what their lives were like than I was their writings and thoughts, even though that was really who they were.
I studied Plato’s teachings in school and I did not want further education in this vein.
However, by the time he introduced Lysis, I began to realize something that I didn’t know and I was more intrigued. It occurred to me that Ancient Greece and the people of the Mediterranean countries were like a small town, especially amongst their elites. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, or at least everyone who was important knew everyone else. I did not understand the connections between all these people.
I did have trouble following the story. It bounces quickly from time period to time period. And by about 35% into the book, I was thoroughly confused. For example, when he tries to cure Tallus, he first compares him with another boy named Charmides. Yet, a few pages later, it appears Charmides lived during the time of Socrates. I was confused, because I thought there was a significant time period between our narrator and Socrates. Maybe I missed something earlier.
I believe there are subtle transitions that need to be less subtle. I lost my way and had to go back and reread several times, which breaks up the story.
For example, though I enjoyed the learning aspect of this book, about 53% into the book, you explained Plato’s thoughts on the cosmos and that everything reverses itself periodically. I found this hugely interesting and do not remember learning it in school.
Then he wrote this: “But I had grown a little tired of those intellectual heights, of dealing with the Demiurge, the creator of the cosmos, and these considerations of the rotations of the sphere of the universe. I longed for contact with historical events, even very remote but concrete and attested. So it was with some pleasure that I now returned to the story of Plato’s life.”
I thought to myself, wasn’t he already talking about Plato? I went back to make sure I did not miss anything and found it was Plato. Upon rereading the passage again, I realized his thoughts were different than his life’s story. It was a subtle transition that broke up the story for me.
I had to put this book down numerous times and read it little by little. I struggled through it, but found the last 20% of the book the easiest to follow. I’m not sure why.
The book is well edited with only a few minor edits needed. For example “zis” should be “is”.
All in all, I did learn and I enjoy learning; but this was not a book
I enjoyed. And I think I could enjoy it! I give it three stars, because it is an intriguing story, I appreciate the author’s work and what he tried to do, and it was well edited. If you love philosophy, you will love this book!
The story provides much information about Plato’s life and work in the 5th century, as well as information on Apuleius in the 2nd century. Paradoxically, Apeuleius has to deal with his own ideas of virtue especially with his own thoughts about marrying his friend’s very wealthy mother.
In the beginning, I thought the book convoluted. The journey at the beginning of the book lost me. I am not from that time period or from that part of the world. It needs a basic map for illustration. Where is Oea? I finally found it on Wikipedia.
I almost quit reading this because I got bogged down in the philosophical arguments, rather than what happened in Plato’s or the narrator’s life. I agreed to review this book because I thought it was more like a biography of Plato and the gentleman. I was more interested in the men and what their lives were like than I was their writings and thoughts, even though that was really who they were.
I studied Plato’s teachings in school and I did not want further education in this vein.
However, by the time he introduced Lysis, I began to realize something that I didn’t know and I was more intrigued. It occurred to me that Ancient Greece and the people of the Mediterranean countries were like a small town, especially amongst their elites. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, or at least everyone who was important knew everyone else. I did not understand the connections between all these people.
I did have trouble following the story. It bounces quickly from time period to time period. And by about 35% into the book, I was thoroughly confused. For example, when he tries to cure Tallus, he first compares him with another boy named Charmides. Yet, a few pages later, it appears Charmides lived during the time of Socrates. I was confused, because I thought there was a significant time period between our narrator and Socrates. Maybe I missed something earlier.
I believe there are subtle transitions that need to be less subtle. I lost my way and had to go back and reread several times, which breaks up the story.
For example, though I enjoyed the learning aspect of this book, about 53% into the book, you explained Plato’s thoughts on the cosmos and that everything reverses itself periodically. I found this hugely interesting and do not remember learning it in school.
Then he wrote this: “But I had grown a little tired of those intellectual heights, of dealing with the Demiurge, the creator of the cosmos, and these considerations of the rotations of the sphere of the universe. I longed for contact with historical events, even very remote but concrete and attested. So it was with some pleasure that I now returned to the story of Plato’s life.”
I thought to myself, wasn’t he already talking about Plato? I went back to make sure I did not miss anything and found it was Plato. Upon rereading the passage again, I realized his thoughts were different than his life’s story. It was a subtle transition that broke up the story for me.
I had to put this book down numerous times and read it little by little. I struggled through it, but found the last 20% of the book the easiest to follow. I’m not sure why.
The book is well edited with only a few minor edits needed. For example “zis” should be “is”.
All in all, I did learn and I enjoy learning; but this was not a book
I enjoyed. And I think I could enjoy it! I give it three stars, because it is an intriguing story, I appreciate the author’s work and what he tried to do, and it was well edited. If you love philosophy, you will love this book!
July 6, 2023
In the description of Apuleius at the beginning of the book, the author claims this book gives a somewhat surprising yet authentic picture of the customs and mentality of the educated classes during the heyday of the Roman Empire.
And being a talented author and a very wise philosopher, he pretends to sometimes wonder to what some countries and events owe their privileged place in human memory, but in reality he concludes that school textbooks and literary works determine this. Ergo, he knows that writers and historians are those who determine the shape of history, and sets to do just that.
He again cunningly uses the pretext of telling a story to talk about another epoch and its sensitive (but actually ageless) topics. And he does it so cleverly, you almost believe it's Apuleius who philosophizes off topic and distractedly touches on every sensitive subject, flowing on and back like a drop of sweat on a guilty politician's brow. All those considerations on tyranny bring forth the reality of revolving history: people keep forgetting its lessons and making the same mistakes!
Food is for the body, but books are for the soul, and they coexist in a symbiotic relationship ultimately defining life:
" ‘Zamolxis, our king, who was also a god, prescribed that since one must not treat only the eyes without taking care of the head, or only the head without taking care of the rest of the body, neither must one try to heal the body without thinking about the soul. And exactly this is the reason why Hellenic physicians cannot deal with many diseases : by not paying attention to the soul, they fail to treat the whole man. Because if a man is to do well, all his parts have to be healthy.’ “My Thracian friend explained further that all bodily evil and good begins in the soul and flows from there. So that’s why the soul should be taken care of first and foremost! He said finally, my young friend, that the soul is cured by certain spells. And that words of wisdom constitute such spells. For from such words comes self-control of the soul, which is the basis of the health of the whole body."
I liked the philosophical part of the book, with its considerations about Plato, Socrates and the speculation on their motivation, as much as the plot and the brilliant ending. Aleksander was definitely a master storyteller and a magician - all smoke and mirrors...
I can't recommend this book enough! I certainly plan to carefully re-read it, and I'm sure I'll find a lot of fresh hidden gems disguised as thoughts to last me for a good long while.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
And being a talented author and a very wise philosopher, he pretends to sometimes wonder to what some countries and events owe their privileged place in human memory, but in reality he concludes that school textbooks and literary works determine this. Ergo, he knows that writers and historians are those who determine the shape of history, and sets to do just that.
He again cunningly uses the pretext of telling a story to talk about another epoch and its sensitive (but actually ageless) topics. And he does it so cleverly, you almost believe it's Apuleius who philosophizes off topic and distractedly touches on every sensitive subject, flowing on and back like a drop of sweat on a guilty politician's brow. All those considerations on tyranny bring forth the reality of revolving history: people keep forgetting its lessons and making the same mistakes!
Food is for the body, but books are for the soul, and they coexist in a symbiotic relationship ultimately defining life:
" ‘Zamolxis, our king, who was also a god, prescribed that since one must not treat only the eyes without taking care of the head, or only the head without taking care of the rest of the body, neither must one try to heal the body without thinking about the soul. And exactly this is the reason why Hellenic physicians cannot deal with many diseases : by not paying attention to the soul, they fail to treat the whole man. Because if a man is to do well, all his parts have to be healthy.’ “My Thracian friend explained further that all bodily evil and good begins in the soul and flows from there. So that’s why the soul should be taken care of first and foremost! He said finally, my young friend, that the soul is cured by certain spells. And that words of wisdom constitute such spells. For from such words comes self-control of the soul, which is the basis of the health of the whole body."
I liked the philosophical part of the book, with its considerations about Plato, Socrates and the speculation on their motivation, as much as the plot and the brilliant ending. Aleksander was definitely a master storyteller and a magician - all smoke and mirrors...
I can't recommend this book enough! I certainly plan to carefully re-read it, and I'm sure I'll find a lot of fresh hidden gems disguised as thoughts to last me for a good long while.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 17, 2023
An interest slow read
This is a book that will appeal to readers with a philosophical bent, specifically those with an interest in Plato. The story concerns a Greek man whose travels are interrupted by illness. Recovering at the home of man old friend in the city of Olea, he is urged by his host to consider marriage - to the host's mother. Things go strangely from there, as he becomes embroiled in accusations of sorcery and faces some severe consequences. All during the tale of his misadventures, he maintains a running, detailed, and exhaustive commentary on the life and teachings of his idol, the philosopher Plato. It is all very enlightening, from the historical as well as metaphysical perspective, but I as a reader can't say its was enjoyable. The endless back-and-forth, from narrator's present to Plato's history, from the juxtaposition of the narrator's situation with pertinent excerpts of Plato's writings, makes for slow pacing, and sometimes tedious reading. The author's language (ably and faithfully translated into English) is of a formal and highly expositional style which has little appeal to today's casual reader.(The book's original time and place of publication made it subversive to entrenched political interests, and its subsequent suppression served to fuel an underground of dissent, hence its significance in the literary world.) SO, this is a voluntary ARC review recommending the book to a niche reading audience, and cautioning the reader who expects a more typical work of historical fiction to look elsewhere.
This is a book that will appeal to readers with a philosophical bent, specifically those with an interest in Plato. The story concerns a Greek man whose travels are interrupted by illness. Recovering at the home of man old friend in the city of Olea, he is urged by his host to consider marriage - to the host's mother. Things go strangely from there, as he becomes embroiled in accusations of sorcery and faces some severe consequences. All during the tale of his misadventures, he maintains a running, detailed, and exhaustive commentary on the life and teachings of his idol, the philosopher Plato. It is all very enlightening, from the historical as well as metaphysical perspective, but I as a reader can't say its was enjoyable. The endless back-and-forth, from narrator's present to Plato's history, from the juxtaposition of the narrator's situation with pertinent excerpts of Plato's writings, makes for slow pacing, and sometimes tedious reading. The author's language (ably and faithfully translated into English) is of a formal and highly expositional style which has little appeal to today's casual reader.(The book's original time and place of publication made it subversive to entrenched political interests, and its subsequent suppression served to fuel an underground of dissent, hence its significance in the literary world.) SO, this is a voluntary ARC review recommending the book to a niche reading audience, and cautioning the reader who expects a more typical work of historical fiction to look elsewhere.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews