Alexandra

Alexandra, which has come down to us under the name of Lykophron, is generally regarded as one of the most bizarre and inaccessible works of Greek literature. This is because Alexandra is not a conventional narrative poem, but an erudite literary game with countless mythological allusions and intertextual references to previous Greek literature, a riddle totalling almost 1,500 verses. This makes Alexandra a unique work in Greek literature, which had neither predecessors nor successors in this form and scope. This edition is the first German translation of the poem in over 125 years. Alexandra is not a work that can be grasped in a quick and cursory reading, but a text that requires a concentrated and in-depth treatment from its recipients. For this reason, the German translation is accompanied by extensive notes that provide the explanations necessary for understanding. In addition, the explanatory notes show the literary history of how the poet deals with existing versions of myths by alluding to or deviating from the familiar and introducing or inventing innovations.

Fabian Horn, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.