New releases in literature and the arts
Crete University publications cover a broad range of different fields and are known for translating into Greek important books, mostly of a specialized content. Two new publications from the Human Sciences series make available in Greek a comprehensive history of Roman literature and a more specialized book on the perception of art. «The History of Roman Literature,» originally published in German by Michael von Albrecht in 1994 and now published by Crete University Press in the second revised edition (a professor of Latin literature, Dimitris Nikitas, was responsible for the translation and editing), is a two-volume, exhaustive survey on Latin literature from the beginning of the Roman era to the sixth century, when Emperor Justinian closed Plato’s Academy. Apart from a valuable documentation of Roman literature, the book also provides a broader context for appraising the Roman literary output and its contribution to the history of Western literature. It gives much historical information as well as an analysis of each writer’s writing style and technique, and the ties with ancient Greek literature. Structured chronologically, each chapter begins with a general overview of the period and the literature it produced, followed by an analysis of each writer in poetry and literature. The second publication is «Inner Vision. An Exploration of Art and the Brain» by Semir Zeki, first published in 1999 and translated by Thanassis Dinopoulos for the Crete University Press edition. Zeki, a professor of neurobiology at London’s University College and a pioneer in neuroscience development, examines the perception of art in relation to functions of the human brain. In his analysis, Zeki argues that each aspect of the visual arts (color, form, line) corresponds to a different part of the brain. The book offers a contemporary approach to the arts.
