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  • The Odes of Pindar

  • By: Pindar
  • Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
  • Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)
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The Odes of Pindar cover art

The Odes of Pindar

By: Pindar
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
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Summary

Pindar was one of the greatest lyric poets of ancient Greece. He is best known today for his odes to the victors of athletic contests, including those at famed Olympia. These odes, the only complete surviving pieces by Pindar, are marvels of sustained imagination, packed with dense parallels between the athletic victor, his illustrious aristocratic ancestors, and the myths of Olympian gods and heroes like Jason, Heracles, and Perseus.

Those myths were the religious foundation for the athletic festivities. Pindar knew these athletes and their noble families, as he was a member of the nobility - he had a personal link to the traditions that were highly cherished by Dorian Greeks. Pindar's renown as a poet was richly deserved, and he was extremely well paid for his work.

Pindar was born in Boeotia around 518 B.C., and, according to tradition, died at Argos in 443 B.C. Some sources say he lived to be 79. His first extant ode, Pythian number 10, was written in 498 B.C. His last, a Nemean ode, was composed in 444 B.C.

Although the Olympic games are today the most famous of Greek athletic contests, they were not the only ones of importance. The Isthmian, Nemean, and Pythian games were also highly regarded in ancient times, and odes to victors in those games make up a large part of these surviving pieces. The extreme piety with regard to the gods Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hera, and the Muses is singularly apparent throughout. It is indicative of the spiritual reverence of the Greek people in this period. There has never been a poet who celebrated the majesty and mystic significance of athletic competition more magnificently than Pindar.

©2007 Audio Connoisseur (P)2007 Audio Connoisseur

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Disappointing narration

Where does The Odes of Pindar rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Fairly low

What will your next listen be?

Homers odyssey

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Not at all

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

interesting to hear

Any additional comments?

After enjoying charlton griffins reading of the history of Rome with his very well schooled accent. I was rather disappointed with this one. Admittedly Pindar is rather an obscure interest and there are unlikely to be many more readings available. However it certainly a felt that griffin had little knowledge and Understanding of the poetry he was reading, it felt as if it the stuff was being read for the first time without rehearsal or familiarity. I am grateful that it is available at all but a little more effort in the production could have improved things immensely. Pindars poetry is interesting (to me) for some of the Greek myths it contains and as the insight it gives to Ancient Greek history so worth a listen for those reasons.

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