Acknowledgements
In my late teens I purchased an inexpensive collection of Aeschylus’ plays and their Italian translations. I was thrilled when launching into it, but adolescent enthusiasm evaporated quickly when mid-way through I Persiani I felt engulfed in dirges and recapitulations beyond any reasonable scale. This study builds on a heterogeneous range of personal and scholarly responses to Aeschylus, including the discomfort and fascination.
Since responses are influenced by the reader’s contexts, acknowledging the material and intellectual environments in which my work has developed is a task as necessary as it is delightful. At the University of Vienna, the Institut für Klassische Philologie, Mittel- und Neulatein has been my home for six years; this time was blessed by the collaborative spirit of Georg Danek, Andreas Heil, Danuta Shanzer, and especially Herbert Bannert, who supported me since day one. Joining the Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut at the ÖAW gave me the extraordinary privilege of collaborating with Stefan Hagel, a.k.a. Lox or
I feel indebted to the book project’s partners who, while and well after I was a visiting scholar or lecturer at their departments, enriched my studies in generous ways. These are Patrick Finglass and Alan H. Sommerstein, who welcomed me at the Department of Classics of the University of Nottingham, and Jonas Grethlein, who invited me to teach and work at the Seminar für Klassische Philologie of the University of Heidelberg. These mentors shared with me thought-provoking discussions and feedback, research networks, and pretty much everything I was hoping for. I am also grateful to the many colleagues in and outside classics who have contributed to making my time in Vienna, Nottingham, and Heidelberg stimulating and happy in equal measure: Jean Andrews, Bernardo Ballesteros Petrella, Anna Bonifazi, Anke Charton, Mike Delaney, Martina Delucchi, Alfred Dunshirn, Luuk Huitink, Katharina Korecky-Kröll, Tosca Lynch, Daniela Mairhofer, Giuseppe Mendicino, Raimund Merker, Holly Miller, Chiara Nazzaro, Hector Orengo, Xusa Ortega Pérez, Michaela Raggam-Blesch, Sonja Reisner, Kateryna Schöning, Andreas Schwab, Walter Stockert, Olga Sutkowska, Aldo Tagliabue, Athanassios Vergados, Wang Xidan, and indeed many others.
I dedicate my work to Hector, my anarchic tutor in empathy and adventure, and Alex, who has a knack for unconditional things.