Lucian

Lucian (l`shən), b. c.120, d. after 180, Greek writer, also called Lucianus, b. Samosata, Syria. In late life he held a government position in Egypt. Lucian wrote an easy, masterly Attic prose, which he turned to satirical use. His wit and characterizations give his satires a vigor and an interest that have made him highly admired and often imitated. The most important and characteristic are his dialogues (e.g., Dialogues of the Gods, Dialogues of the Dead, The Sale of Lives), which deal with ancient mythology (the Olympian fables, which he satirizes) and with contemporary philosophers (whose ineptitude he exposes). The True History, a fantastic tale parodying incredible adventure stories, influenced such later writers as Rabelais and Swift. Lucian also wrote poems and rhetorical, critical, and biographical works.

Bibliography

See C. R. Robinson, Lucian and His Influence in Europe (1979); C. P. Jones, Culture and Society in Lucian (1986).

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Lucian

 or Lucianos Latin Lucianus

(born c. AD 120, Samosata, Commagene, Syria—died after 180, Athens) Ancient Greek rhetorician, pamphleteer, and satirist. As a young man he acquired a Greek literary education while traveling through western Asia Minor. He became a public speaker before turning to writing essays. His works, outstanding for their mordant wit, are a sophisticated critique of the shams and follies of the literature, philosophy, and intellectual life of his day. In such works as Charon, Dialogues of the Dead, True History, and Nigrinus, he satirized nearly every aspect of human behaviour. His best work of literary criticism is How to Write History.