Sept 16th Crit Mass: A True Story

Adam digs deep in history to bring us A True Story by Lucian of Samosata.

Lucian of Samosata was a writer known for his satire. He was born in what is now eastern Turkey, in Samosata, about 120 C.E. Samosata was located in the ancient Roman province of Syria (not to be confused with the modern country); the site was recently inundated by the Atatürk Dam. Lucian was trained as a rhetorician (somewhat like a trial attorney). However, he made a living as an itinerant lecturer. Lucian traveled widely, as far as Greece, Italy and Gaul. He died in Athens, about 180 C.E. Over eighty works, written in Greek, are attributed to him, some probably spuriously. The best known of his works, A True Story, is considered to be one of the first science fiction stories.

The Internet Sacred text Archive

Widely hailed as the first science fiction story, A True Story, by Lucian of Samosata is a voyage to the edges of the universe and reason. The title is the first clue that this will be a tall tale. As much a predecessor of Douglas Adams as Jules Verne, Lucian’s fantasy explores not only outer space (where he brokers war and peace between the inhabitants of the sun and moon), but also the Elysian fields, the geography of the Odyssey, and the interior of a giant whale.

https://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/luc/true/index.htm includes parallel English/Greek translations of the work

Critical mass Zoom meeting, Sept 16th.
Part 1: Sep 16, 2020 7:00pm Adelaide, 7:30 Melbourne
<tea break 7:40 – 7:50>
Part 2: Sep 16, 2020 7:50pm Adelaide, 8:20 Melbourne

Join Zoom:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75158919590?pwd=N2IrNGZ3d1kyclA1WkgxMUx4d3JOdz09

Meeting ID: 751 5891 9590
Passcode: 1ve6jG