They’re probably somewhere, way down on your reading list, saved for the rainier days if the internet ever goes down.
But if you don’t pick up the old classics, some of the earliest and arguably best works of European fiction, history, philosophy and drama, now, you probably never will.
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From the words behind Greek myths that baffled us as children to the inner sanctum of emperors twisted through proto-feminist political dissent, the Roman and Greek classics have it.
These writings have played an important role in the development of English literature, which is good, but to make this list they had to be really interesting to read.
you can broaden your horizons and have fun, suffering is not allowed. Or at least have something awesome to pose with on the bus to college.
We also tell you which edition to buy to avoid unreadable translations. thank us later.
Many people are more familiar with Homer’s Iliad – partly because of the film Troy, and the goings on of the Trojan War – than those of Odysseus’s journey back to Ithaka.
But this is much more than just another exciting and bloody adventure. its characters blind a cyclops and turn into pigs, but the poem also asks big questions about human motivation.
what is coming of age in ancient greece, in the case of telemachus, the son of odysseus? Does Odysseus even tell the truth when he recounts his successes? Is he justified in the brutal slaughter of the men who courted the obedient Penelope?
The answers are up to us.
oxford world classics, £5.59, amazon
People have been divided for two and a half thousand years over the Greek Tragedy of Medea. Was she a heartless mother that killed her children without hesitation or an abused wife taking the only option open to her?
It’s a terrible situation and where she falls in the middle it’s impossible to fully justify. clashes in euripides play crackling with sinister power. it has been copied often but never in parallel.
oxford world’s classics, £5.59, blackwell’s
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a rarely performed Greek tragedy dealing with misogyny, guilt, and the ties within families.
Hippolytus, the (anti-)hero, is virginal and devoted to the huntress goddess Artemis, but it turns out that early on, with a chilling speech from the goddess of love, Aphrodite, he is owed a terrible downfall for his rejection. to her.
The play is one of the best examinations of how people and actions can fit into a morally gray area, with everyone and no one to blame at the same time.
for editing, see medea (above)
The Greek Tragedy of Antigone sets up the family in conflict with the state, when Antigone buries her brothers, who are traitors to their city of Thebes, against the orders of the King.
civil disobedience, gender, and family ties are examined. everyone loses everything. another jolly day at the Athenian theatre, but an excellent read nonetheless.
her performance in 2014 for syrian women in a refugee camp in beirut is a testament to her continued power.
cambridge translations of greek drama, £8.25, blackwell’s
A particularly influential comedy from 5th C BC Athens’ foremost comic playwright, in which the hero Lysistrata leads the women of Athens in a protest that involves the women denying sex to the men until peace with Sparta is established.
Throughout history, this has been repeated and even reportedly influenced spike lee’s recent movie chi-raq. It’s true that ancient Greek comedy is strange to read.
there is no way around it. you have to ignore the inside political jokes (mainly about how male politicians are vulgar and/or effeminate). the wit of the story is powerful enough.
penguin, £9.99, blackwell’s
Meno asks Socrates whether “virtue” can be taught. So starts a wide-ranging dialogue between the two men, brought to life with Plato’s imagination and characterisation.
there are some weird parts. particularly when a slave who is able to intuit geometric answers after questioning shows that he really knew everything in past lives and just needs to “remember” it.
if you want to delve into good old fashioned argumentative philosophy with nice characterization and the occasional dodgy argument you can feel good about refuting, this is a great dialogue to turn to from an undisputed great philosopher.
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oxford world’s classics, £5.59, blackwell’s
Don’t go into this expecting it to be a clear, chronological and factual account of history. But it is all the better for it.
Herodotus calls it the result of his “investigation” into the war between Persia and Greece that occurred in the early 5th century BC. he is just as likely to describe the eating habits of an Ethiopian tribe he has heard of as he is to describe the appearance of a statesman.
joins an eccentric yet riveting tale of a father of the historical genre.
oxford world classics, £6.99, blackwell’s
A short and easy way into literary criticism from one of Greece’s finest polymaths. Some of it very out of fashion now, some of it brilliant.
His tales of tragic reversal and “tragic flaw” have dominated discussions of theater and are worth reading in the original, especially since they are often misunderstood.
penguin, £8.99, amazon
A real joy of interwoven stories about changes from a Roman poet. If you ever read Greek myths when you were young, this is probably where they were from.
metamorphoses inspired many of the Renaissance painters, making it useful in multiple cultural areas. some of the stories are dark, with daughters falling in love with their parents and a lover betraying the lover.
oxford world classics, £8.99, amazon
This work takes aim at all classes of Roman society, with the most famous part being ‘Trimalchio’s Dinner’, where a member of the nouveau riche is mercilessly mocked for his unrefined tastes.
a deeper look at the class divisions in Rome’s 1st professorship, which bears some resemblance to modern britain in attitudes.
The amount and types of food they consume are also disgusting and fascinating. the atmosphere is basically a horrible story for adults.
oxford world classics, £7.02, amazon
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