The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies

Title: The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies
Author: Martin Millar
Published: 2015, on paper and Kindle
Genre: Humourous history
Pages: 208 (at least on Kindle)




It's the new book from one of my all-time favourite authors, featuring one of my all-time favourite literary characters, annnd a playwright whose work I'm fond of! It's therefore pretty safe to say I loved every second, and tried to make them last as long as I could. Happily, Millar's books tend to be great on the second, third and tenth read-through, too.


Okay, fan-girling aside, what's it about? Picture it: Athens, 421. Springtime. The Dionysia-festival is upon the city, and Aristophanes the playwright -of Lysistrata-fame- is having trouble with his actors, his play, the Peace, his financier, this annoying little poet who keeps pestering him, and his phalluses. They're just not big enough! Also, yes, there is the war with Sparta going on, and people are generally fed up with it. Most people, anyway: the warmongers are using dirty tricks to keep the fighting going. The Goddess Athena isn't impressed, and sends along her counter-measure.


The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies is full of characters steering peace this way and that, including a few actual historical figures like Socrates and Plato. And yes, there's Luxos the poet who doesn't seem to be able to get his poems heard. Or something to eat. Perfect excuse to read Lux the Poet again, isn't it?




   When Hermogenes rushed up with a report, the playwright turned to him with the sort of urgency commonly seen on the battlefield when a messenger arrived with news of enemy positions. 
   'The prop-maker says he can get them up to fourteen inches. Any longer, they'll go floppy.'
   Aristophanes threw up his hands in frustration. 'Fourteen inches? That's nowhere near long enough! What's the point of me writing the funniest dialogue if Eupolis has bigger penises? You know what the Athenian audience is like. They're all morons.'
   'Even Socrates?'
   'He's the worst of the lot. As for Euripides...'
   Hermogenes looked thoughtful. 'Perhaps we're worrying unnecessarily. Everyone in Athens is short of materials. Eupolis and Leucon's choruses might not have such big stage-penises either.'