Pierre Vidal-Naquet – författare

-- Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, Columbia University

These essays treat a range of issues from the ancient Jewish revolt against Roman rule and the much-mythologized martyrdom at Masada, the French Revolution, and Marxism's difficulties with "the Jewish question," to Nazi genocide and the deep problems of representing it.

Written by one of the leading ancient historians in the world today, this book shows how politics in the ancient world has been interpreted and re-interpreted through the ages.

"No one can fail to admire the brilliance of the connections Vidal-Naquet suggests ...Audacity has been characteristic of Vidal-Naquet's career from the start; it marked his activities as a historian engage in the political struggle; it is visible at work in every page of this book."-Bernard Knox, from the Foreword The black hunter travels through the mountains and forests of Greek mythology, living on the frontier of the city-state, of adulthood, of class, of ethics, of sexuality. Taking its title from this figure, The Black Hunter approaches the Greek world from its margins and charts the elaborate system of oppositions that pervaded Greek culture and society: cultivated and wild, citizen and foreigner, real and imaginary, god and man. Organizing his discussions around four principle themes-space and time; youth and warriors; women, slaves, and artisans; and the city of vision and of reality-Pierre Vidal-Naquet focuses on the congruence of the textual and the actual, on the patterns that link literary, philosophical, and historical works with such social activities as war, slavery, education, and commemoration.The Black Hunter probes the interplay of world view, language, and social practice "to bring into dialogue that which does not naturally communicate according to the usual criteria of historical judgement." "A brilliant demonstration of structural analysis and its usefulness in illuminating well-known texts and providing fresh insights ...What strikes the reader of this book is its daring, innovative interpretations. This is not a book that merely collects new information or synthesizes old views. It bursts into the heart of important themes and floods them with bright light."-Modern Greek Studies Yearbook "One of the liveliest intellects in the field ...There is a wealth of learning in this book; specialists ...will wish to consult individual articles while the general reader will not only learn but enjoy its contents and tenor."-Classical World "Excellent ...Vidal-Naquet's book is a gem. It will stimulate further thoughts, discussions and writings on the Greek politeia and politikon. It should be read by all those who are involved in classical and comparative studies. It puts into circulation a structuralist reading which is provocative and simultaneously rings true."-V. Y.Mudimbe, Journal of Ritual Studies

This is the history of the development through the ages of Plato's "Atlantis" story - the imperialist island state that disappeared in a cataclysm, leaving Athens to survive it...Instead of simply focusing on the various attempts to 'find' Atlantis - all of which are futile for the very good reason that Plato made the island up - the author re-examines the very different uses made of the myth in different contexts and periods. He shows how Plato's myth was reinterpreted in the medieval period and after through conflation with the search for the lost tribes of Israel; how it became involved with the debate about whether Europe should look back to its origins in the Classical or Biblical worlds; how the myth was reinterpreted with a more geographical emphasis following Columbus' discovery of America; and how it was used in the "Enlightenment" to add colour to nationalist attempts to claim antiquity by finding unrecognised origins. Written in a clear and interesting way, Pierre Vidal-Naquet's original ideas rest on deep knowledge supported by primary references and illustrations.

Historien har inte skapats endast av det mänskliga förnuftets erövringar, utan också av dess irrvägar, av de återvändsgränder det slagit in på och alltjämt slår in på. - Pierre Vidal.Naquet Under närmare 2500 år har människor fångats av Platons berättelse om det sjunkna riket Atlantis. Än idag söker folk efter öns geografiska plats och låter sig förtrollas av dess idé. Men faktum kvarstår: som historisk oh geografisk realitet har Atlantis aldrig funnits. Trots det har myten utvecklats och fått eget liv. Intresset exploderade i och med upptäckten av Amerika, som av många identifierades med den sjunkna ön. Runtom i Europa har myten använts i nationalistiska syften. I Sverige tyckte sig till exempel universalgeniet Olof Rudbeck finna spår av ön utanför Uppsala. Med Atlantis hjälp försökte de lärda kartlägga världens ålder eller spåra de olika folkslagens ursprung. En mängd romaner och filmer berättar om försök att återupptäcka eller återskapa ön. Och i koncentrationslägret Theresienstadt komponerades en opera om kjesaren av Atlantis, som lånat drag av den nazistiske diktatorn.