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Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths
"Lovers' Legends, The Gay Greek Myths" is the first work since the fall of the Roman empire to bring together in story form the Greek myths of male love between gods and heroes. The tales, written for readers of all ages, include an ancient debate, "Different Loves" ("Erotes" in the original), an unabashed comparison of gay and straight love written by Lucian of Samosata ~1700 years ago. Despite its accessible format, "Lovers' Legends" is a work of considerable scholarship, of interest to classicists and historians as well as members of the gay / lesbian / bi / trans audience, and suitable for use in courses on gender studies or Greek history and culture. Heavily illustrated with photographs of ancient art, it provides notes, a map, bibliography, and an indexed glossary. A great deal of attention has been paid to the production of the book. It is made to it has been printed on heavyweight acid-free recycled paper, with sewn signatures, and clothbound.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 8, 2010
I bought this when I was big into Alexander the Great. I enjoyed the love story of Alexander and Hephaistion and thought this may be more of the same.
Not really. This was a bunch of myths where the author re-instated the slashy content. The myths themselves are fairly short (maybe 3-4 pages) and don't go into any real depth.
The intervening argument of which is better "the love of women" or "the love of boys" was actually rather offensive. Not as much for the pederasty, as for the treatment of women.
I should note that at least a third of this book is reference materials, not actual text. Plus, lots of pictures, if you like that sort of thing.
The goal of restoring a more accurate version of the old myths was a good one. I'm just not sure how much I like the format the results came in.
Not really. This was a bunch of myths where the author re-instated the slashy content. The myths themselves are fairly short (maybe 3-4 pages) and don't go into any real depth.
The intervening argument of which is better "the love of women" or "the love of boys" was actually rather offensive. Not as much for the pederasty, as for the treatment of women.
I should note that at least a third of this book is reference materials, not actual text. Plus, lots of pictures, if you like that sort of thing.
The goal of restoring a more accurate version of the old myths was a good one. I'm just not sure how much I like the format the results came in.
December 13, 2022
How far to judge a book by its title?
Though ignorant of its overwhelming beauty and truth, enough of this book's value was apparent from reviews that I would have read it many years before I did had it not been for one fatal word in its subtitle: "gay." Whether its deployment is a genuine detraction from the author's otherwise profound understanding and appreciation of the beauty and ethos of Greek love or whether it is a sad concession to the social correctness currently necessary for commercial success, unfortunately it matters.
However, let me first acknowledge this book's virtues, all that qualify it as an extraordinarily beautiful work of the most profound intellectual and aesthetic importance. Despite all one might fear about a work characterising an ancient phenomenon by an anachronistically extremely modern and different one, the contents are entirely faithful in spirit and beauty to the euphoria and extreme human success enabled for tragically too few centuries by an unrivaledly beneficent but now tragically misunderstood form of love. It is no mean feat to achieve this, when not only the spirit of our age militates against it, but the original sources are often profoundly contradictory, their reconciliation requiring considerable understanding and insight. Mr.Calimach has resolved all this most convincingly, for which reasons his book can and should be enjoyed by all.
To try to get an idea why calling these myths gay is so critically misrepresentative, let us imagine what would happen if Zeus were to appear today and hear Mr. Calimach call him gay. Always concerned about mortal impiety towards the gods, he would naturally make enquiries as to what gay meant. He would be merely baffled by the notion he had been born unchangeably fixed in an attraction to males that made him one of a distinct minority, knowing as he did that all that mattered about the mortals that caught his eye was their beauty and not whether they were women or boys. Confusion would change to revulsion though when he heard gays were turned on by men. Fury would begin to arise when he heard most gays joining the cacophany of voices rabidly denouncing the love of boys, and it would explode when he heard them fiercely asserting that gay relationships were equal and that by imputation he was believed to swap roles when in bed with Ganymede. Then thunderbolts would be unleashed and I fear Mr. Calimach would find no place safe to hide. No amount of pleading the undoubted merits of his book would save him in even the depths of Hades, and he would soon find himself eternally and unfairly consigned to the terrible chamber therein named Tartaros.
Edmund Marlowe, author of Alexander's Choice, a modern Greek love story, https://www.amazon.com/dp/191457107X
Though ignorant of its overwhelming beauty and truth, enough of this book's value was apparent from reviews that I would have read it many years before I did had it not been for one fatal word in its subtitle: "gay." Whether its deployment is a genuine detraction from the author's otherwise profound understanding and appreciation of the beauty and ethos of Greek love or whether it is a sad concession to the social correctness currently necessary for commercial success, unfortunately it matters.
However, let me first acknowledge this book's virtues, all that qualify it as an extraordinarily beautiful work of the most profound intellectual and aesthetic importance. Despite all one might fear about a work characterising an ancient phenomenon by an anachronistically extremely modern and different one, the contents are entirely faithful in spirit and beauty to the euphoria and extreme human success enabled for tragically too few centuries by an unrivaledly beneficent but now tragically misunderstood form of love. It is no mean feat to achieve this, when not only the spirit of our age militates against it, but the original sources are often profoundly contradictory, their reconciliation requiring considerable understanding and insight. Mr.Calimach has resolved all this most convincingly, for which reasons his book can and should be enjoyed by all.
To try to get an idea why calling these myths gay is so critically misrepresentative, let us imagine what would happen if Zeus were to appear today and hear Mr. Calimach call him gay. Always concerned about mortal impiety towards the gods, he would naturally make enquiries as to what gay meant. He would be merely baffled by the notion he had been born unchangeably fixed in an attraction to males that made him one of a distinct minority, knowing as he did that all that mattered about the mortals that caught his eye was their beauty and not whether they were women or boys. Confusion would change to revulsion though when he heard gays were turned on by men. Fury would begin to arise when he heard most gays joining the cacophany of voices rabidly denouncing the love of boys, and it would explode when he heard them fiercely asserting that gay relationships were equal and that by imputation he was believed to swap roles when in bed with Ganymede. Then thunderbolts would be unleashed and I fear Mr. Calimach would find no place safe to hide. No amount of pleading the undoubted merits of his book would save him in even the depths of Hades, and he would soon find himself eternally and unfairly consigned to the terrible chamber therein named Tartaros.
Edmund Marlowe, author of Alexander's Choice, a modern Greek love story, https://www.amazon.com/dp/191457107X
January 25, 2022
由于中文界对安德鲁·克里马赫 (Andrew Calimach, 1952 -) 所知甚少，在这里介绍一下。
另外，作者在其个人 Academia 的学术主页上提供了这本书的电子版本下载，有兴趣的同学可以在那个网站搜索一下Andrew Calimach 这个名字。
首先是书本介绍：
《恋人传说：同性恋希腊神话》(Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths, by Andrew Calimach 2001) 是现代第一部收集古希腊罗马所有男性爱情神话并严格根据古代材料进行最真实详尽的还原的作品。该作品在 2003 年获得了多项朗姆达文学奖 (Lambda Literary Award ) 的提名，并荣膺诸多重要奖项。该书获得了 Bryn Mawr Classical Review (Teresa Ramsby, 9/4/2003) 和 School Library Journal (Reed Coates, 2002) 等古典研究期刊和相关研究专家的好评。书中描绘了赫拉克勒斯、俄耳甫斯、纳西索斯等神话人物的丰富故事，在历史文化背景下呈现希腊男性爱情的积极和消极方面。 适合性别研究、历史、宗教等课程；包含注释、参考书目、词汇表和地图。
其次是作者的个人介绍：
安德鲁·克里马赫 (Andrew Calimach, 1952 -) 是罗马尼亚裔美国籍神话作家、剧作家，一位撰写性别研究和其他社会问题的独立学者。他通晓多种语言，包括罗马尼亚语、法语、英语、意大利语、西班牙语和俄语。
Andrew Calimach是一位自学成才的古典主义者和独立工作的历史学家，致力于研究并重写希腊神话关于男性爱情神话的议题，详尽考察和探究了从基督教时代开始到 1900 年代末的文献。他于 2001 年在美国出版了畅销神话作品《恋人传说：同性恋希腊神话》(Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths, Haiduk Press)。这是现代第一部收集古希腊罗马所有男性爱情神话并严格根据古代材料进行最真实详尽的还原的作品。该作品在 2003 年获得了多项朗姆达文学奖 (Lambda Literary Award ) 的提名，并荣膺诸多重要奖项。该书获得了 Bryn Mawr Classical Review (Teresa Ramsby, 9/4/2003) 和 School Library Journal (Reed Coates, 2002) 等古典研究期刊和相关研究专家的好评。书中描绘了赫拉克勒斯、俄耳甫斯、纳西索斯等神话人物的丰富故事，在历史文化背景下呈现希腊男性爱情的积极和消极方面。
该作品在布加勒斯特以罗马尼亚语翻译出版。自从这部作品出版以来，Calimach继续研究和写作，并在美国、英国和中国发表了关于男性爱情的历史和伦理的文章。 在中国期刊发表的作品有《伽倪墨得斯遗失的美好古代性别研究》（小作家选刊（教学交流）2014, (9)）以及《希腊式男性关系研究》（小作家选刊（教学交流）2014, (1)）。
三年后，他与以色列导演艾格尼丝·列夫（Agnes Lev）和其他艺术家合作出品了神话剧场版本，并以 CD 的形式发行，作品定名为《无边界的恋人传说》(Lovers' Legends Unbound)。该作品力图重新复活古希腊罗马鲜为人知的神话。凭借广播剧《Archias and Actaeon》（由 LyrAvlos 乐团为其创作和演奏音乐），Calimach 继续致力于恢复和复兴古希腊男性之间的爱情神话。目前，他正在编写专著的第二版，融入几个不为公众所知的新神话，并对希腊男性爱情神话进行系统整理。
他也是一位诗人，偶尔也会在“垮掉的一代”的社交圈中流连忘返，他的一些作品已私下发表在纽约地下流传的小册子中。他是艾伦·金斯伯格（Allen Ginsberg）的朋友，两者均为藏传佛教老师秋阳创巴 (Chogyam Trungpa) 的学生。Lovers' Legends 一书便是献给艾伦·金斯伯格的作品。
Andrew Calimach是摩尔达维亚 (Moldavia) 古老统治家族之一 Calimach 氏族的后裔，但他对王位没有野心。他举办有关希腊同性恋神话的研讨会，在纽约和布加勒斯特之间分配时间，继续从事学习和写作。
另外，作者在其个人 Academia 的学术主页上提供了这本书的电子版本下载，有兴趣的同学可以在那个网站搜索一下Andrew Calimach 这个名字。
首先是书本介绍：
《恋人传说：同性恋希腊神话》(Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths, by Andrew Calimach 2001) 是现代第一部收集古希腊罗马所有男性爱情神话并严格根据古代材料进行最真实详尽的还原的作品。该作品在 2003 年获得了多项朗姆达文学奖 (Lambda Literary Award ) 的提名，并荣膺诸多重要奖项。该书获得了 Bryn Mawr Classical Review (Teresa Ramsby, 9/4/2003) 和 School Library Journal (Reed Coates, 2002) 等古典研究期刊和相关研究专家的好评。书中描绘了赫拉克勒斯、俄耳甫斯、纳西索斯等神话人物的丰富故事，在历史文化背景下呈现希腊男性爱情的积极和消极方面。 适合性别研究、历史、宗教等课程；包含注释、参考书目、词汇表和地图。
其次是作者的个人介绍：
安德鲁·克里马赫 (Andrew Calimach, 1952 -) 是罗马尼亚裔美国籍神话作家、剧作家，一位撰写性别研究和其他社会问题的独立学者。他通晓多种语言，包括罗马尼亚语、法语、英语、意大利语、西班牙语和俄语。
Andrew Calimach是一位自学成才的古典主义者和独立工作的历史学家，致力于研究并重写希腊神话关于男性爱情神话的议题，详尽考察和探究了从基督教时代开始到 1900 年代末的文献。他于 2001 年在美国出版了畅销神话作品《恋人传说：同性恋希腊神话》(Lovers' Legends: The Gay Greek Myths, Haiduk Press)。这是现代第一部收集古希腊罗马所有男性爱情神话并严格根据古代材料进行最真实详尽的还原的作品。该作品在 2003 年获得了多项朗姆达文学奖 (Lambda Literary Award ) 的提名，并荣膺诸多重要奖项。该书获得了 Bryn Mawr Classical Review (Teresa Ramsby, 9/4/2003) 和 School Library Journal (Reed Coates, 2002) 等古典研究期刊和相关研究专家的好评。书中描绘了赫拉克勒斯、俄耳甫斯、纳西索斯等神话人物的丰富故事，在历史文化背景下呈现希腊男性爱情的积极和消极方面。
该作品在布加勒斯特以罗马尼亚语翻译出版。自从这部作品出版以来，Calimach继续研究和写作，并在美国、英国和中国发表了关于男性爱情的历史和伦理的文章。 在中国期刊发表的作品有《伽倪墨得斯遗失的美好古代性别研究》（小作家选刊（教学交流）2014, (9)）以及《希腊式男性关系研究》（小作家选刊（教学交流）2014, (1)）。
三年后，他与以色列导演艾格尼丝·列夫（Agnes Lev）和其他艺术家合作出品了神话剧场版本，并以 CD 的形式发行，作品定名为《无边界的恋人传说》(Lovers' Legends Unbound)。该作品力图重新复活古希腊罗马鲜为人知的神话。凭借广播剧《Archias and Actaeon》（由 LyrAvlos 乐团为其创作和演奏音乐），Calimach 继续致力于恢复和复兴古希腊男性之间的爱情神话。目前，他正在编写专著的第二版，融入几个不为公众所知的新神话，并对希腊男性爱情神话进行系统整理。
他也是一位诗人，偶尔也会在“垮掉的一代”的社交圈中流连忘返，他的一些作品已私下发表在纽约地下流传的小册子中。他是艾伦·金斯伯格（Allen Ginsberg）的朋友，两者均为藏传佛教老师秋阳创巴 (Chogyam Trungpa) 的学生。Lovers' Legends 一书便是献给艾伦·金斯伯格的作品。
Andrew Calimach是摩尔达维亚 (Moldavia) 古老统治家族之一 Calimach 氏族的后裔，但他对王位没有野心。他举办有关希腊同性恋神话的研讨会，在纽约和布加勒斯特之间分配时间，继续从事学习和写作。
December 31, 2014
Such a disappointment...
I was definitely expecting much more from this book.
First of all, it lacked detail. The stories were told very briefly and generally. It felt childish and unprofessional. Also, the language was bad and I found the writing somewhat vague at times.
The only story I really enjoyed was 'Hercules and Hylas'. It was the only one felt complete.
Overall, I find the ideas, thoughts and the theories in this book quite misogynist, ignorant and offensive against women. I only wanted to read a book about gay myths but I ended up with reading a book that was preaching about how women were so unworthy, ugly and polluted so loving adolescent boys was so virtuous and wise for men. It was so sexist and ignorant I grew angrier while finishing it.
I was definitely expecting much more from this book.
First of all, it lacked detail. The stories were told very briefly and generally. It felt childish and unprofessional. Also, the language was bad and I found the writing somewhat vague at times.
The only story I really enjoyed was 'Hercules and Hylas'. It was the only one felt complete.
Overall, I find the ideas, thoughts and the theories in this book quite misogynist, ignorant and offensive against women. I only wanted to read a book about gay myths but I ended up with reading a book that was preaching about how women were so unworthy, ugly and polluted so loving adolescent boys was so virtuous and wise for men. It was so sexist and ignorant I grew angrier while finishing it.
February 1, 2011
I love that this is supposed to be a kid's book. That's fantastic. Also, my old professor endorsed it on the back.
Finally, a book that doesn't get its panties in a bunch over male lovers in ancient Greece.
Finally, a book that doesn't get its panties in a bunch over male lovers in ancient Greece.
July 24, 2011
"Calimach has done something very important here. There are valuable lessons in this collection even for those with a lot of knowledge about mythology. This is an attractively packaged, delightful collection of well selected and presented stories, filled with wonderful images from ancient art."
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews