Inspirational Quotes by Lucian (Greek Satirical Writer)

Lucian of Samosata (c.120–c.200 CE,) also Lūciānus, was a Greek satirical writer of about eighty prose pieces in various forms—essays, speeches, letters, dialogues, and stories, generally satirical in tone. Celebrated for his mastery of Greek prose and satirical dialogue, he was a remorseless but enjoyable critic of mythological and philosophical dogmas.

Lucian was born in Samosata on the Euphrates in Syria, now in Turkey. His native language was probably Aramaic, but he received an excellent Greek education in rhetoric and became first an advocate and then, like many of his day, a traveling lecturer, though he was a satirist instead of a sophist.

The details of Lucian’s life are recognized only from his writings; no contemporary or near-contemporary mentions him. Nonetheless, he says little about himself—and not all that he says is to be received seriously. He toured through Asia, Greece, Italy, and Gaul, but, in middle age, he moved to Athens and aborted rhetoric for philosophy. It may have been after that that he developed the dialogue form (well known from Plato,) which made him renowned, even though it is impractical to date his works beyond doubt.

Lucian’s primary literary models were the satires of Cynic Menippus, which lampooned institutions, ideas, and conventions in a mixture of prose and verse. Lucian’s writings were also influenced by Greek iambic poetry, Attic Old Comedy, and the Dialogues of Plato. In later life, Lucian was appointed to a minor post in the Roman bureaucracy in Egypt.

Lucian’s notable works include Deorum Dialogi (‘Dialogues of the Gods,’) Mortuorum Dialogi (‘Dialogues of the Dead’) and Charan. Vera Historia (‘True History’) parodies the fantastic adventure tales of the ‘new’ literature. A Selected Works (1965) was edited by B. P. Reardon.

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