Life Elsewhere

Mark Haskell Smith Rude Talk In Athens: Ancient Rivals, the Birth of Comedy, and a Writer's Journey through Greece

In ancient Athens, thousands would attend theatre festivals that turned writing into a fierce battle for fame, money, and laughably large trophies. While the tragedies earned artistic respect, it was the comedies—the raunchy jokes, vulgar innuendo, outrageous invention, and barbed political commentary—that captured the imagination of the city. The writers of these comedic plays feuded openly, insulting one another from the stage, each production more inventive and outlandish than the last, as they tried to win first prize. Of these writers, only the work of Aristophanes has survived and it’s only through his plays that we know about his peers: Cratinus, the great lush; Eupolis, the copycat; and Ariphrades, the sexual deviant. continue reading 

Dr. Binoy Kampmark, senior lecturer at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. He writes and researches extensively on legal and historical matters, including terrorism, international history, and politics. 

In these two clips, recorded on August 16, 2021, Kampmark answers the questions, 1) Are we viewing selected images of the scenes at Kabul airport? 2) Who are the Taliban  

The full interview with Binoy Kampmark will air on Life Elsewhere. Details at www.lifeelsewhere.co

The image is based on the Taliban flag (1997 - 2021)