ISBN Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches

Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches

Described by a later Greek historian as “a man seriously committed to raising a laugh”, Lucian exulted in the exposure of absurdity and the puncturing of pretension, and was capable of finding a comic angle on almost any subject. In this selection we see him conversing with his literary enemies, railing against hypocrisy and the vanity of human wealth and power, and taking a wry look at the power of lust and the unsatisfactory nature of deviant sexual practices.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.


About author(s)
Lucian (c.125–c.200) was born in the Roman province of Syria. He studied philosophy and rhetoric and mastered Greek, which was not his native language. An orator and satirist, he influenced the later humanist writers, including Thomas More and Erasmus.