Harry Potter Now In Ancient Greek

[Spock]

-----here's a news excerp that warms my intellectual heart ----not logical but often true.

Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2005.08.07
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Translated
into Ancient Greek by Andrew Wilson. London: Bloomsbury Publishing,
2004. Pp. 250. ISBN 0-7475-6897-9. $21.95.

Reviewed by Tad Brennan, Northwestern University

The book under review is surely one of the most important pieces of
Ancient Greek prose written in many centuries. It will be a delight to
all Classicists, a boon to all teachers of Greek, and a possession for
all time.

It is, of course, Andrew Wilson's translation, into Ancient Greek, of
J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book. It is also, in this reader's
opinion, a complete success. On nearly every page there is some
felicity of composition to be admired, some construction that shows
off the Greek language's power and versatility, some turn of phrase
that arouses admiration for the translator. In its entirety, it is an
extraordinary work -- a prose comp. exercise on an unprecedented
scale. But unlike most prose comp exercises, it is also a wonderfully
good read.

It will also be of great value to teachers of mid-level Greek who are
casting about for texts with which to encourage and entertain their
students. After the Xenophontic parasangs have lost their charm and
the Euripidean trimeters are limping, students can refresh themselves
with a bout of "ikarosphairikê" (Wilson's spot-on neologism for
quidditch), or enjoy the bantering of Fred and George. I don't suppose
courses will be designed around it, but this book will certainly be a
valuable auxiliary.