Clouds, Birds, Frogs and Me

Here is my autobiography. If you want to know why I think it is important to release it now, the ‎reasons are compelling. People no longer have any idea what it was like to live in Athens in my ‎time. To the extent people think about it all, they think of the literature, the philosophy, the ‎architecture and the trappings of the democracy. They don't think about how we actually spent our ‎time. This may explain why we have lost the capacity for reasoned debate, we can no longer tell ‎truth from falsehood, we have trouble getting the rich to pay for public goods, and we discuss basic ‎human urges with a strange combination of prurience and shame. Today's world has a lot to learn ‎from mine. And besides, I am a comic and my life was funny. We seem to have forgotten how ‎much fun life should be. Aristophanes.‎

This is a joyous revelation. The world of 5th century Athens is brought into vibrant life through the ‎eyes and work of the one and only Aristophanes, the comic genius of his age. Satire and mockery ‎reveal the truth about a society (including ours) more than tragedy, which is better at revealing ‎truths about individuals. High time we heard from a great comic spirit and reminded ourselves that ‎the Greek world was not all orators, philosophers, mathematicians and tragedians. There was the ‎juicy riot of humanity in there and all brought together by the hilarious, wise and companionable ‎voice of Aristophanes* himself. A fabulous read. - Sir Stephen Fry.‎

Aristophanes in his own, non-dramatic words - who knew they could be so amusing? - Paul ‎Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture, University of Cambridge, author of Aristophanes ‎and his Theatre of the Absurd.‎

The comic poet Aristophanes is your guide to fifth century Athens in his hilarious and informative ‎Clouds, Birds, Frogs and Me - William Fitzgerald, Emeritus Professor of Classics, Kings College, ‎London.‎

Phenomenal! - EE Cohen, Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University of Pennsylvania

* As told to Peter Acton