The Greek Achievement: The Foundation of the Western World

A brilliant history of the ideas of ancient Greece and how they provide the foundation for subsequent Western thought.

An overview of Greek culture.

Freeman by Clare London is a reissue of a novel I enjoyed so much the first time around that I’m pleased to help introduce it to a new audience. It offers a melancholy, intensely emotional vibe – sort of a British noir fiction. Freeman is our viewpoint character, but he’s a mysteriously self-contained man who doesn’t reveal much about his plans or past to the reader. This creates an air of suspense, as if his past is so painful and his future is so uncertain that he cannot dwell upon it. It is also fascinating to follow him through his story and piece together his overall dilemma. Meanwhile, the plotting itself is satisfyingly intricate, and his relationship with the endearing Kit is tender and involving.

The story starts with show more Freeman returning to an unnamed city, which is probably London. He has a complicated and shady past with possible ties to the underworld as well as painful ties to an ex-wife and an ex-lover. He used to work as a freelance “finder” (of people, objects, and information) for the increasingly corrupt George Marshall into whose orbit he now carefully insinuates himself. Freeman is on a mission of vengeance. Unfortunately, George now has an alluring young man Kit entangled in his criminal enterprises, and George has noticed Freeman’s protective instincts toward Kit. Freeman must pull off his plan while looking out for Kit. show less

One of the best summaries of why the Greeks are important for us to consider. The achievements of the ancient Greeks form the cornerstone of Western civilization. The work traces the entire course of ancient Greek history across thousands of years--from the Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations of the Bronze Age through the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. This account celebrates the incredible range of Greek achievement: the architectural marvels of the Athenian Acropolis; the birth of drama and the timeless tragedies of Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles; Homer's epics; the philosophical revolutions of Plato and Aristotle; and the conquests of Alexander the Great.

12/2/22