This book is a guide to Greek literature of the Hellenistic period, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. It demonstrates how, during this period, Greek culture spread to Egypt and the Near East, was adapted and absorbed by the Romans, and produced an extraordinarily diverse literature, ranging from the comedy of Menander to the intricately wrought epigrams of Callimachus, from Apollonius' epic Argonautica to the great historical work of Polybius.
The book helps readers to find their way through this remarkable but complex body of work. It situates Hellenistic literature in its historical and cultural contexts, introduces the major writers and genres of the period, and explains the major critical trends in current scholarship on the subject. Information about style, meter, and language aids readers with no prior knowledge in understanding technical aspects of literary Greek. All ancient Greek words are transliterated, and literary passages are quoted in translation.