Edith Hamilton

Edith Hamilton, a professor, author, and historian, was born on August 12, 1867, in Dresden, Germany, to American parents Montgomery and Gertrude Pond. She grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. She learned French and German at a very young age. Her father began teaching her Latin when she was seven, and by the age of eight, she was reading Greek. She attended school for the first time at the age of 16. In 1895, Edith and her sister Alice returned to Germany and became the first female students at the Universities of Munich and Leipzig. Edith Hamilton returned to the USA in 1896, accepting an offer to become the headmistress of the Bryn Mawr Preparatory School in Baltimore, Maryland. For the next 26 years, she was responsible for the education of approximately 400 students each year. After retiring in 1922, encouraged by Rosamond Gilder, editor of Theatre Arts Monthly, she began writing and publishing articles about Ancient Greek poets and tragedians, who had impressed her since her youth. These articles caught the attention of Elling Aannestad of W. W. Norton publishers, who asked her to write a book about the ancient Greeks. Although initially hesitant, she eventually agreed. Thus, in 1930, at the age of 63, her first book, titled "The Greek Way," was published. The reviews for the book were enthusiastic, and it was quickly hailed as one of the best books ever written on ancient Greek literature. She continued to publish articles and write books, always focusing on the ancient world, which earned her numerous literary awards and honors. On August 8, 1957, just four days before her 90th birthday, Hamilton finally visited Greece and Athens for the first time. She saw "Prometheus Bound" at the Herodion, in her own translation, and was honored with the title of Honorary Citizen of Athens. As she mentioned in her brief thank-you speech before the performance, this was the most significant moment of her life. She was finally a citizen of Athens, the city she had loved so much.