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This text discusses the philosophical issue of happiness from Greece to the present days. Today we speak more of death than of life, that is, we no longer think of the possibility of a good life. Where are the major proposals of the imaginary happiness, that men have built throughout history? We do not intend in this paper to answer the questions raised above; rather, through it, we seek to find ways to live life rather than contemplate living death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bachae by Euripides is one of our richest sources of the archaic cult of Dionysus. Its climax is represented by the dismemberment (sparagmos) of Pentheus by his mother Agave, maddened by Dionysus. The violent conflict between Pentheus and Dionysus has generally been interpreted as an expression of the opposition of classical Olympian religion to the introduction of a new orgiastic cult. In this paper I propose an alternative reading of the legend. It is premised on the fact that Pentheus belongs to the race of the spartoi, the bronze warriors that sprang from the teeth of the dragon slaughtered by Kadmos. My hypothesis is that the conflict between Dionysos and Pentheus reiterates the sacrificial killing of the local "serpent" (a Minoan-Mycenaean title for the king) and its warriors by Kadmos when founding Thebes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hestia Publishers & Booksellers is the oldest Greek publishing house in continuous operation since 1885. Founded by Georgios Kasdonis in 1885, Hestia began its activities mainly as a textbook publisher, which gave it a solid financial basis. In the 21st century its production is evenly divided between literature and scholarly works while translated books have gained a substantial share in its catalogue. Nowadays it is a medium-size enterprise keeping its high cultural prestige due to its longevity and the quality of its editorial choices. This paper examines Hestia's cultural impact, the constitution of its catalogue, its relations to authors and the reception of its books, as well as the economic history of the book business in Greece during an extended period of 125 years and under various constraints, both market and political ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]