Heracles - Couverture souple

Menelaos Stephanides (1923-2007), the author of 'Greek Mythology series', originally studied economics in Athens but his main preoccupation was writing. For more than twenty-five years he concentrated, with great success, on the retelling of ancient Greek myths, tirelessly studying the source materials to achieve his literary version of the many stories. Working with his brother, the artist and illustrator Yannis Stephanides, he wrote and published the 18-volume series 'Greek Mythology' for children, which was translated into several languages and later reissued as a pocket book for older readers. He then turned his attention to more recent Greek tradition, studying hundreds of folk tales the most appealing of which he retold in the highly successful 10-volume series 'Folk Tales from Greece'. Menelaos Stephanides' name is now familiar in many parts of the world, thanks to the translation of both his mythology and the folk tales into several foreign languages. In 1989 his book 'Jason and the Argonauts' was awarded two Pier Paolo Vergerio honourable distinctions by the University of Padua, while in 1998 his entire published work was recommended by the Hellenic Ministry of Education for inclusion in school libraries, having already long been recognised as a source of reference for publishers, the reading public and educationalists.

The whole fabulous story of this great hero who was sent to earth by Zeus to unite the warring Greeks. A life filled with superhuman feats and harsh blows foreseen and bravely faced. A life which won him love and admiration surpassing even the gods and earned him immortality. The Heracles of this book is not simply the hero whose twelve labours gained him an undying place in western consciousness, but a defender of the poor and oppressed, an overthrower of tyrants who won the love and respect of his own and succeeding generations.