Peter Morris Green (born 22 December 1924)"Green, Peter 1924–"
Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. ''Encyclopedia.com'', retrieved 30 October 2017. is a British

classical scholar Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and novelist noted for his works on the Greco-Persian Wars,

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

and the

Hellenistic Age In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in 31 ...

of ancient history, generally regarded as spanning the era from the death of Alexander in 323 BC up to either the date of the

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, ...

or the death of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

in 14 AD."Novelist, Critic, Translator, Historian: An Interview with Peter Green"
AMICI, Classical Association of Iowa. Green's most famous books are ''Alexander of Macedon,'' a historical biography first issued in 1970, then in a revised and expanded edition in 1974, which was first published in the United States in 1991; his ''Alexander to Actium'', a general account of the

, and other works. He is the author of a translation of the ''Satires'' of the Roman poet

Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the '' Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...

, now in its third edition. He has also contributed poems to many journals, including to ''

Arion Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...

'' and the '' Southern Humanities Review''.

Biography

Green went to school at Charterhouse. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he served with the Royal Air Force in

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

. In Firpo's Bar in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

he met and became friendly with another future novelist, Paul Scott, who later used elements of Green's character for the figure of Sergeant Guy Perron in ''The

Raj Quartet ''The Raj Quartet'' is a four-volume novel sequence, written by Paul Scott, about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. The series was written during the period 1965–75. ''The Times'' called it "one of the most important la ...

''. After the war, Green attended

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where he achieved a Double First in Classics, winning the Craven Scholarship and Studentship in 1950. He subsequently wrote

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

s and worked as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

, in the capacity of fiction critic for the ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'' (1953–63), book columnist for the ''

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'' (1961–62), television critic for '' The Listener'' (1962–63), film critic for '' John O'London's'' (1961–63), as well as contributing to other journals. In 1963 he and his family moved to the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

island of

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Asia Minor by the nar ...

, where he was a

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

and independent scholar. In 1966 he moved to Athens, where he was recruited to teach classics for

College Year in Athens College Year in Athens (CYA) is a not-for-profit , 501(c)(3) educational institution founded in 1963 and incorporated in the State of Delaware. It is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and governed by a board of trustees. It offers its study abroa ...

, and published ''Armada from Athens'', a study of the

Sicilian Expedition The Sicilian Expedition was an Athenian military expedition to Sicily, which took place from 415–413 BC during the Peloponnesian War between Athens on one side and Sparta, Syracuse and Corinth on the other. The expedition ended in a de ...

of 415–3 BC (1970), and ''The Year of Salamis'', a history of the Greco-Persian Wars (1971). In 1971 Green was invited to teach at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, where he became Dougherty Centennial Professor of Classics in 1982, emeritus from 1997. In 1986, he held the Mellon Chair of Humanities at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

in New Orleans. He is now an adjunct professor at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...

and also has held visiting appointments at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

and at

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

in Greenville,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

used Green's translations of

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom ...

, found in ''The Erotic Poems'' (1982) and ''The Poems of Exile: Tristia and the Black Sea Letters'' (1994) as song lyrics on the albums '' "Love and Theft"'' (2001) and '' Modern Times'' (2006). Green is a regular contributor to the ''

New York Review of Books New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

''. Green was married to Classicist and ancient historian Carin M. C. Green, who died in 2015.Obituary
"Professor Carin M. Green March 30, 1948 - July 2, 2015 Iowa City, Iowa".
/ref>

Bibliography

Expanding Eye - A First Journey To The Mediterranean''
(1952) Illustrated with photographs. * ''Habeas Corpus And Other Stories'' (1954) (eight short stories) * ''Achilles His Armour'' (1955) (historical novel about

Alcibiades Alcibiades ( ; grc-gre, Ἀλκιβιάδης; 450 – 404 BC) was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last of the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War. He played a major role in t ...

and the

Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time until the decisive intervention of ...

). * ''Cat in Gloves'' (Under pseudonym Denis Delaney) (1956), Gryphon Books * ''The Sword of Pleasure'' (1957) (fictional memoirs of

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla had t ...

) * ''Kenneth Grahame: A Biography: The Dramatic and Human Story of the Fascinating and Complex Man Who Wrote The Wind in the Willows'' (1959) * ''Writers & their Work - Sir

Thomas Browne Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 160519 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curi ...

'' (1959), Longman for

The British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh la ...

* ''Writers & their Work - John Skelton'' (1960), Longman for the British Council * ''Essays in Antiquity'' (1960) * ''Destiny of Fire'' by

Zoe Oldenbourg Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...

(translation of ''Les Brûlés'') (1961) * ''Massacre at Montségur'' by

(translation of ''Le Bûcher de Montségur'') (1961) * ''The Life of Jesus'' by Jean Steinmann (translation) (1963) * ''The Laughter of Aphrodite: A Novel About Sappho of Lesbos'' (1965) * ''The Sixteen Satires by

'' (translation) (1967) * ''The Year of Salamis, 480-479 BC'' (1970) (UK) = ''Xerxes at Salamis'' (1970) (USA)
''Alexander the Great''
(1970) * ''Armada from Athens'' (1970)
''The Shadow of the Parthenon: Studies in Ancient History and Literature''
(1972)
''The Parthenon''
(1973)
''A Concise History of Ancient Greece to the Close of the Classical Era''
(1973) * ''Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.; A Historical Biography'' (1974; re-issue in U.S., 1991, as indicated below) * ''Ancient Greece: An Illustrated History'' (1979) * ''

: The Erotic Poems'' (1982)
''Classical Bearings: Interpreting Ancient History and Culture''
(1989)
''Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age''
(1990)
''Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography''
(1991) * ''

: The Poems of Exile: Tristia and the Black Sea Letters'' (1994) * ''The Argonautika by Apollonios Rhodios'' (translation) (1997) * '' The Greco-Persian Wars'' (1996) (update of ''The Year of Salamis'')
''From Ikaria to the Stars: Classical Mythification, Ancient and Modern''
(2004) *''The Poems of Catullus'' (2005) *''Diodorus Siculus, Books 11–12.37.1 : Greek history 480–431 B.C.—the Alternative Version'', Austin, University of Texas Press, 2006.
''Alexander The Great and the Hellenistic Age''
(2007)
''The Hellenistic Age: A Short History''
(2007) * ''The Iliad'' by

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

(translation) (2015) * ''The Odyssey'' by

(translation) (2018)

Book reviews

Critical studies and reviews of Green's work

;The Odyssey (2018) *

Notes

External links

2003 interview, with picture
* List of Green'
contributions
to ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'' * List of Green'
contributions
to the ''

London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review o ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Peter 1924 births Living people British historians British classical scholars Scholars of ancient Greek history Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Latin–English translators Greek–English translators Classical scholars of the University of Texas at Austin Royal Air Force personnel of World War II 20th-century translators London Review of Books people Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British expatriates in the United States Translators of Homer British people in British Burma