Menander


Menander (/məˈnændər/; Greek: Μένανδρος Menandros; c. 342/41 – c. 290 BC) was a Greek dramatist. He is the best-known of Athenian "New Comedy".[1]

Menander
Bust of Menander
Bust of Menander. Roman copy of the Imperial era after a Greek original (c. 343–291 BC).
Born342/41 BC
Athens
Diedc. 290 BC
EducationStudent of Theophrastus at the Lyceum
GenreNew Comedy
Notable works

He wrote 108 comedies,[2] and took the prize at the Lenaia festival eight times.[3] His record at the Dionysia is unknown but may well have been good.

Although he was one one of the most popular writers of antiquity, his work was lost during the Middle Ages. It is known now in fragments, many of which were discovered in the 20th century. Only one play, Dyskolos, has survived almost entirely.

References

  1. Konstan, David (2010). Menander of Athens. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 3–6. ISBN 978-0199805198.
  2. Suidas μ 589
  3. Apollodorus: Chronicle, fr.43