Pindar
(522 B.C.–440 B.C.)

Considered to be one of the greatest lyric poets of ancient Greece, Pindar was born into a noble family in Thebes. Much of his education developed from frequent travels to places such as Athens, Sicily, Syracuse, and modern day Agrigento. Surrounded by the intellectual and political confusion of the time, Pindar channeled his own passion through his poetry, which he believed to be his true calling in life.

Although he was satisfied with his vocation, Pindar acquired much of his fame by producing triumphal odes, or epincia, which were narrative poems sung for athletic champions and commissioned by the affluent. Pindar's unique interest in meter and moralistic myths caught the attention of royalty and nobles during his day. He also influenced later writers, such as Roman poet Horace and English poets Abraham Cowley and John Dryden. It is, however, the enduring quality of his work—forty-five odes in all—that have lasted over the centuries and continue to portray his poetic prominence.

A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |  G  |  H  |  I  |  J  |  K  |  L  |  M
N  |  O  |  P  |  Q  |  R  |  S  |  T  |  U  |  V  |  W  |  X  |  Y  |  Z