Life in Sparta was a life without the use of coins, without privacy, without taboos on adultery and pederasty, without spicy or sweetened foods, without foreign visitors, even without lights after dark, a life of sacrifices with one end in view: an unrivaled expertise in killing people in frequent wars. We’ll explore how Spartan society, which to us looks so abnormal and unnatural, flourished for over four centuries, a model of consistency and communal harmony, until ironically its victory over wealthy Athens led to the undermining of its “normal” and “natural” practices.
Geoff Hargreaves read Classics at Pembroke College, Oxford, before going on to earn a doctorate in English Literature. Since then he has translated Mexican novels and poetry into English for New York and London publishers. He is an actor and playwright, who has had two full-length plays produced, along with several short plays in our local festivals. His libretto for a short opera was staged 12 times in Canada.
