Portland Public Library

Greek to me, adventures of the comma queen, Mary Norris

eng

autobiography

no index present

non fiction

Greek to me

1037806834

Mary Norris

adventures of the comma queen

Norris's lifelong love affair with words led her into a passion for all things Greek, and from there into solo adventures in the land of olive trees and ouzo. She explains how the alphabet originated in Greece, makes the case for Athena as a feminist icon, goes searching for the fabled Baths of Aphrodite, and reveals the surprising ways Greek helped form English. Filled with encounters with Greek words, Greek gods, Greek wine-- and more than a few Greek men-- this is Norris' fresh take on Greece and the exotic yet strangely familiar language that so deeply influences our own. -- adapted from jacket

Invocation -- Alpha to omega -- A is for Athena -- Dead or alive -- Demeter dearest -- A taste for tragedy -- Swimming with Aphrodite -- Acropolis now -- The sea! the sea!