Writers

Aristotle (Writer)

  (384-322 b.c.) philosopher, scholar, teacher, treatise writer Aristotle was born in the small Greek town of Sta-girus (now Stagira). His father, Nicomachus, spent some time serving as personal physician to Amyn-tas II, king of Macedonia, at the kingdom’s capital of Pella. Aristotle’s mother and father died when he was a boy, and he was […]

Aristophanes (Writer)

  (ca. 450-385 b.c.) playwright Born in Attica near Athens, Aristophanes became a playwright as a fairly young man; his first play, Banqueters (now lost), was staged in 427 b.c., and he penned approximately 40 comedies throughout his life. He was profoundly influenced by the Pelo-ponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, which erupted in 431 […]

Apuleius (Lucius Apuleius, Apuleius of Madaura) (Writer)

  (ca. 125-after 170) novelist, philosopher, rhetorician Apuleius was born in Madaura, a Roman city in North Africa. His father was a duumvir, or provincial magistrate. Apuleius attended the University of Carthage and then studied philosophy in Athens, where he followed the teachings of plato. In 155 he married Pudentilla, a wealthy widow, but was […]

Augustus (Gaius Octavius) (Writer)

  (63 b.c.-14 a.d.) emperor, patron of writers Augustus was the first and perhaps the greatest of the Roman emperors, rising to power in the aftermath of the fall of the Roman Republic. The adopted son and successor of Julius caesar, Augustus brought stability and peace to Rome, ushering in an era of tranquillity known […]

Augustine, Saint (Augustine of Hippo, Aurelius Augustinus) (Writer)

  (354-430) memoirist, theologian, philosopher, essayist Saint Augustine was born in Thagaste, the site of modern Souk Ahras, Algeria. His father, Patricius, was a pagan who died while Augustine was still in his teens. His mother Monica was a devout Christian who profoundly influenced Augustine’s way of thinking in his later years. Much of what […]

Aucassin et Nicolette (Writer)

  (13th century) French tale Aucassin et Nicolette is the only surviving example of the genre of the French chantefable, a medieval tale told in alternating sections of prose and verse. The word chantefable is from Old French and literally means “(it) sings (it) recites.” The term may have been coined by the author of […]

Attic orators (Writer)

  (fifth century-fourth century b.c.) During the Golden Age of ancient Greece, many of the Greek city-states began experimenting with representative forms of government. Rather than being ruled by kings or tyrants, the citizens of these city-states attempted to rule themselves in the name of the common good. It was the birth of democracy. One […]

Attar, Farid od-Din (Farid od-Din Mohammad ebn Ebrahim 'Attar) (Writer)

  (ca. 1142-ca. 1220) poet, philosopher Farid od-Din ‘Attar was one of the greatest mystical writers and poets of the Muslim tradition. His works strongly influenced later Persian and other Islamic literature in both subject matter and style. Farid od-Din was born in Nishapur, in northeastern Iran. Not much is known about his life, but […]

Avicenna (nickname of Ibn Sina, Abu 'Ali al-Husayn ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Sina) (Writer)

  (980-1037) philosopher, scientist, nonfiction writer Avicenna was one of the most respected philosophers and scientists in the history of Islam. For hundreds of years, his works influenced philosophy and the teaching and practice of medicine in the Christian and Muslim worlds. Avicenna was born in the village of Afshana near Bukhara, in present-day Uzbekistan. […]

Averroes (Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rushd) (Writer)

  (1126-1198) philosopher Averroes was the last in a great line of medieval Arabic philosophers. The author of many books in all fields of knowledge, he was particularly known as an interpreter of the Greek philosopher aristotle and a defender of philosophy in a religious, Muslim civilization. His greatest influence was in Europe, where his […]

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