ΑΡΙΣΤΟΤΕΛΗΣ / ARISTOTLE
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Autor:
TASOS APOSTOLIDIS
Country:
Greece (GR)
Book Theme:
Graphic novels, Manga and more
Publisher:
IKAROS
Publishing Year:
2022
Tasos Apostolidis was born (1947), lives and works in Thessaloniki, studied mathematics and, in parallel with his career as a teacher, wrote columns for national newspapers, until he finally devoted himself to writing scripts for comics. 25 comic albums for children and adults have been published, with the collaboration of prominent Greek illustrators. Thirteen of them have been translated into English, French, German and Turkish and are available from the shops of the Archaeological Museums of Greece, as well as from the Acropolis Museum. Tasos Apostolidis taught “Screenwriting Technique” at the schools: AURA, PRAXIS, PARALAXI and “Comics, a useful educational tool”, organized by the Regional Directorate of Education of Central Macedonia.
National Award for Children’s and Young People’s
Abstract
In the year 315 BCE in Athens, the botanist Theophrastus—former student and close companion of the philosopher Aristotle—presides over the school (the Lyceum) founded by Aristotle. Through a series of vivid flash-backs narrated by Theophrastus, we follow Aristotle’s journey from his origins in Macedonia as a “metic” (a non-citizen resident) in Athens, through his formative years at the Academy of his mentor Plato, his appointment to tutor the young Alexander the Great, and the founding of his own philosophical school amid the turbulent politics of 4th-century BCE Greece.
In this graphic biography, Apostolidis and Papadatos portray Aristotle not only as the towering thinker whose ideas have shaped millennia of intellectual history, but also as a human being: curious about the world, passionate about philosophy, astronomy, biology, and ethics; subject to exile and political strife; drawn into personal relationships and emotional life; and searching for the “good life” via his doctrine of the golden mean.
Through an accessible yet well-researched narrative, the book weaves in key concepts of Aristotle’s philosophy—knowledge as a fundamental human desire, the role of moderation in virtuous life, the three branches of government, and the intersection of theory and practice—while grounding them in the concrete context of his times.
Stylised and expressive artwork by Papadatos uses a dual-tone palette (sky blue and sepia tones) to distinguish Theophrastus’s present from Aristotle’s past, lending clarity and aesthetic elegance to the historical sweep.
Ultimately, the graphic novel invites the reader to see Aristotle not as an unreachable icon, but as a man shaped by his era, by his relationships, by his restless inquiry—and to appreciate how his insights into human nature, ethics, and the natural world remain relevant today.
