David Konstan
John Rowe Workman Distinguished Professor of Classics and the Humanistic Tradition; Professor of Comparative Literature
[dkonstan@brown.edu]

Full Curriculum Vitae [pdf]

ICAN 2008: Internation Conference on the Ancient Novel: Lisbon, Portugal

"Emotions over Time": Rethymno Colloquium 2005 [pdf]

My B.A. was in mathematics; in my senior year of college, I began ancient Greek and Latin, and went on to obtain a doctorate in classics.

I have been at Brown since 1987, and since 1992 have been the John Rowe Workman Distinguished Professor of Classics and the Humanistic Tradition; I am also a Professor in Comparative Literature, and in the Graduate Faculty of Theatre, Speech and Dance, and I am affiliated with the Department of Philosophy. Previous to coming to Brown, I taught for 20 years at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

I have held visiting appointments at various universities, including the Autonomous National University of Mexico, University of Otago in New Zealand, the University of Edinburgh, the Universidade de São Paulo, the University of La Plata in Argentina, the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa, the University of Sydney, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and the American University in Cairo.

As far as my editorial responsibilities go, I am an Associate Editor of Arethusa, and on the editorial boards of several journals, including Scholia (South Africa and New Zealand), Intertexts, Apeiron, Phaos (Brazil), Logo (Spain), Nova Tellus (Mexico), Nigeria and the Classics (Nigeria), and Ordia Prima (Argentina).  I am also co-editor of the series "Writings from the Greco-Roman World Series," published by the Society of Biblical Literature.

My books include:

1. Some Aspects of Epicurean Psychology. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1973 (= Philosophia Antiqua #25)

2. Catullus' Indictment of Rome: The Meaning of Catullus 64. Amsterdam: A.M. Hakkert, 1977

3. Roman Comedy. Ithaca NY: Cornell University, 1983; paper ed. 1986

4. Simplicius on Aristotle's Physics 6 (translation). Ithaca NY and London: Cornell University and Duckworth, 1989; winner of the Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Books, 1989-90

5. Sexual Symmetry: Love in the Ancient Novel and Related Genres. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994

6. Greek Comedy and Ideology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995

7. Friendship in the Classical World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Key Themes in Ancient History), 1997

8. Philodemus On Frank Criticism: Introduction, Translation and Notes. With Diskin Clay, Clarence Glad, Johan Thom, and James Ware. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature Texts and Translations (Greco-Roman Religion), 1998

9. Commentators on Aristotle on Friendship: Aspasius, Anonymous, Michael of Ephesus on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics 8 and 9 (translation). Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press and Duckworth, 2001

10. Euripides Cyclops. Translated by Heather McHugh; introduction and notes by David Konstan. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001

11. Pity Transformed. London: Duckworth ("Classical Inter/Faces"), 2001

12. Heraclitus Homeric Problems (edition and translation). With Donald Russell. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature (Writings from the Greek and Roman World), 2005

13. The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks: Studies in Aristotle and Classical Literature. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006

14. Aspasius, On Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics 1-4, 7-8 (translation). London and Ithaca, NY: Duckworth and Cornell University Press, 2006

15.  Lucrezio e la psicologia epicurea.  Completely revised and updated edition of (1); translated by Ilaria Ramelli.  Milan: Vita e Pensiero, 2006

16.  Terms for Eternity: Aiônios and aïdios in Classical and Christian Texts.  With Ilaria Ramelli.  Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2007.

My current interests continue to be in the study of emotion and value concepts in the classical world -- for example, I am beginning to investigate the ideas of remorse, repentance, and forgiveness in antiquity -- but have also extended recently to a variety of other areas, such as Greek epigrams and, more generally, the question of how people read in antiquity, as opposed to the way we typically read today.  I continue also to be interested in ancient atomic theory, which has been a passion of mine for ages.  I teach a variety of courses, from mythology and comedy (or the novel) to Hellenistic poetry and Lucian: I confess that all branches of classical literature intrigue me.