Peter Morris Green (22 December 1924 – 16 September 2024) was an English

classical scholar Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

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

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

and the

Hellenistic Age In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the Roma ...

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 Octavian's maritime fleet, led by Marcus Agrippa, and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, near the former R ...

or the death of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

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 was the author of a translation of the ''Satires'' of the Roman poet

Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ; 55–128), was a Roman poet. He is the author of the '' Satires'', a collection of satirical poems. The details of Juvenal's life are unclear, but references in his works to people f ...

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

Arion Arion (; ) 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 of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...

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

Early life and career

Green was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 22 December 1924."Green, Peter 1924–"
Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series. ''Encyclopedia.com'', retrieved 30 October 2017. He went to school at Charterhouse. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he served with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

. In Firpo's Bar in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

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

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, 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 a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

s and worked as a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, in the capacity of fiction critic for the ''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

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

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, 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'' (1962–1963), film critic for '' John O'London's'' (1961–1963), as well as contributing to other journals. In 1963, he and his family moved to the

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

island of

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) 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 and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

, 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 ''trans ...

and independent scholar. In 1966 he moved to Athens, where he was recruited to teach classics for College Year in Athens, and published ''Armada from Athens'', a study of the

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

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 university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

, 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 The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. He was last an adjunct professor at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, 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 int ...

and also has held visiting appointments at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and at

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of universities in North Carolina by enrollment, fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with s ...

in Greenville,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

used Green's translations of

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

, 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 was a regular contributor to the ''

New York Review of Books New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

''. At the time of his death, Green was working wit
Glenn Storey
on a new translation of the works of

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

with full commentaries. That work is expected to be published in 2025.

Personal life and death

In 1954, Green married Lalage Isobel Pulvertaft, a novelist and Egyptologist. They had three children, including Sarah Green. Green's second marriage was to classicist and ancient historian Carin M. C. Green, who died in 2015. Peter Green died in

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

on 16 September 2024, at the age of 99.

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 (; 450–404 BC) was an Athenian statesman and general. The last of the Alcmaeonidae, he played a major role in the second half of the Peloponnesian War as a strategic advisor, military commander, and politician, but subsequently ...

and the

Peloponnesian War The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War (), was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek war fought between Classical Athens, Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Ancien ...

). * ''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 people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

) * ''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 ( "brown"; 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 d ...

'' (1959), Longman for The British Council * ''Writers & their Work - John Skelton'' (1960), Longman for the British Council * ''Essays in Antiquity'' (1960) * ''Destiny of Fire'' by Zoe Oldenbourg (translation of ''Les Brûlés'') (1961) * ''Massacre at Montségur'' by Zoe Oldenbourg (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 Apollonius of Rhodes ( ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; ; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. The poem is ...

'' (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 (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient 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. Despite doubts about his autho ...

(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 ...

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

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

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Peter 1924 births 2024 deaths 20th-century British translators Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British classical scholars British expatriates in British Burma British expatriates in the United States British historians Classical scholars of the University of Texas at Austin Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Greek–English translators Latin–English translators London Review of Books people Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Scholars of ancient Greek history Translators of Homer