Nonnus of Panopolis in Context III: Old Questions and New Perspectives(438 Mnemosyne, Supplements, Late Antique Literature)

Nonnus of Panopolis (5th c. AD), the most important Greek poet of Late Antiquity, is best known for his Dionysiaca, a grand epic that gathers together all myths associated with Dionysus, god of wine and mysteries. The poet also authored the Paraphrase of St. John’s Gospel which renders the Fourth Gospel into sophisticated hexameter verse. This volume, edited by Filip Doroszewski and Katarzyna Jażdżewska, brings together twenty-six essays by eminent scholars that discuss Nonnus’ cultural and literary background, the literary techniques and motifs used by the poet, as well as the composition of the Dionysiaca and the exegetical principles applied in the Paraphrase. As such, the book will significantly deepen our understanding of literary culture and religion in Late Antiquity.

About the Author :
Filip Doroszewski is Assistant Professor of Classics at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw. His recent publications include a monograph on Nonnus’ Paraphrase (De Gruyter, forthcoming) as well as an edited volume on Dionysus and politics in antiquity (Routledge, forthcoming). Katarzyna Jażdżewska is Associate Professor at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University. She published numerous articles on Greek imperial literature and the genre of dialogue. She is currently working on the monograph Greek Dialogue in Antiquity: Post-Platonic Transformations (contracted with Oxford University Press). Contributors are: Domenico Accorinti, Benjamin Acosta-Hughes, Gianfranco Agosti, Cosetta Cadau, Katerina Carvounis, Gennaro D’Ippolito, Margherita Maria Di Nino, Nestan Egetashvili, Roberta Franchi, Laura Franco, Camille Geisz, Fotini Hadjittofi, David Hernández de la Fuente, Nicole Kröll, Anna Lefteratou, Jane Lucy Lightfoot, Enrico Magnelli, Laura Miguélez-Cavero, Ewa Osek, Marta Otlewska-Jung, Sophia Papaioannou, Michael Paschalis, A. Sophie Schoess, Fabian Sieber, Konstantinos Spanoudakis, Berenice Verhelst, Mary Whitby, Maria Ypsilanti.

Review :
"The Nonnus of Panopolis in Context series has been, for a number of years, the largest gathering of interesting perspectives and ideas on Nonnus and his works, and this third volume continues that tradition while setting out directions for the future. With this volume, the field of Nonnian scholarship finally feels like a fully mature, confident academic space, rather than the more hesitant area of study striving for legitimacy and attention that it has been until recently. None of the hesitation or acknowledgement of older, extremely questionable theories and questions of minimal value that have been so prevalent in Nonnian scholarship can be found in this collection, which instead approaches the poems with fresh eyes and exciting ideas. The volume serves as an excellent overview of where the field stands in 2021 and sets out clear aspirations of where we should go next." Oliver Gerlach, The Classical Review 71.2 379–381. "In sum, this collection, which is accompanied by, inter alia, a wide bibliography and useful indices, marks another step forward in the studies on Nonnus' poetry and, at the same time, demonstrates once again how deep and complex it is by providing many starting points for further research." Arianna Magnolo in BMCR 2022.03.11