We may think we have moved on from the past, but the past has not moved on from us. Ancient tragedy allows us to confront what we do not know about ourselves.

In this book, Simon Critchley examines what we thought we knew about the poets, playwrights, and philosophers of ancient Greece and presents them in a new, unexpected, and original light. In a provocative and timely manner, he describes how tragedy continues to express the conflicts and contradictions of the world we live in today.

Tragedy presents a world where private and public life collide and collapse. A world of anger, sorrow, and war. A world where morality is ambiguous and the powerful humiliate and destroy the weak. A world where justice always seems to be found on both sides and where euphemistic words serve as a cover for hidden acts of violence. A world much like our own.

We must attempt to make the ancients live again in our time. In their mirror, we see all the despair and illusion of our lives, but also the terrifying beauty and intensity of existence. If we want to better understand ourselves, then we must return to the theater and to ancient tragedy, which with its sharp and stern gaze allows us to glimpse what it means to be alive.

“Simon Critchley captivates as he illuminates.” DAVID MITCHELL