Vivienne Gray Explained

Vivienne Gray
Birth Date:	^[1]

Vivienne Jean Gray (born) is a New Zealand academic, and is emeritus professor of classics and ancient history at the University of Auckland, specialising in historians Herodotus and Xenophon. She was previously Public Orator for the university.

Academic career

Gray was born in . She grew up in Onehunga. In 1964 while still at high school, she went on an exchange to Australia organised by Lions Clubs International. She was educated at Onehunga High School, graduating in 1964.^[2] Gray received a postgraduate scholarship and completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge. In 1978 she was awarded a Rhodes Visiting Scholarship to Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford.^[3] Gray then joined the faculty of the University of Auckland, rising to full professor. She was also the university's Public Orator, giving the eulogies for honorary doctorates for Maurice Gee, Helen Clark, and Anand Satyanand, among others.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Gray was the invited guest speaker at the founding meeting of the Australasian Women in Ancient World Studies. She spoke about the lives of New Zealand scholars Agathe Thornton and Daphne Hereward.^[7] Gray retired in 2011 and was appointed professor emeritus at the University of Auckland.^[8]

Gray is a specialist on the Greek philosopher and historian Xenophon, and has received international recognition of her work. She has published five books on Xenophon, including a work on his Hellenica in 1989, explaining the form and function of the Hellenica, and arguing that it must first be understood as a literary work before it can be understood as an historical one.^{[9] [10] [11]} Gray followed this with a monograph on Xenophon's treatment of Socrates in 1998. Her 2007 book On Government describes three works on government, two by Xenophon (the Constitution of the Lacedaemonians and the Hiero) and one previously ascribed to him (the Constitution of the Athenians).^{[12] [13]} In 2010 she wrote the Oxford Readings volume on Xenophon.^{[14] [15]} As of 2024, her most recent work is the 2011 Xenophon's Mirror of Princes, covering his work on leadership and arguing against the Straussian reading of irony in Xenophon's writings.^{[16] [17]} Eve A. Browning described Gray as "a major driving force behind this Xenophon renaissance... whose energetic defense of his significance, uniqueness, philosophical depth, writing brilliance, and unified intellectual mission has been ongoing for two decades".^[18]

Selected works

Books

• Gray, Vivienne J. (1989) The character of Xenophon's Hellenica. Duckworth, London ISBN 0715622102
• Gray, Vivienne J. (1998) The framing of Socrates: the literary interpretation of Xenophon's memorabilia, Stuttgart: Steiner, 1998 ISBN 3 515 07313 2
• Gray, Vivienne J. (2007) Xenophon on Government. Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics. Cambridge University Press.
• Gray, Vivienne J. (2010) Xenophon. Oxford Readings in Classical Studies. Oxford University Press ISBN 9780199216185
• Gray, Vivienne J. (2011) Xenophon's Mirror of Princes: Reading the Reflections. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199563814

Other works

Notes and References

1. News: Youth exchange . 14 September 2024 . . CIII . 30527 . 24 August 1964 . 12.
2. Web site: Distinguished Alumni . 13 September 2024 . Onehunga High School . en.
3. Web site: Rhodes Scholar Database .
4. 23 June 2004 . . Honorary Doctorate for Maurice Gee . Scoop News . 13 September 2024 . www.scoop.co.nz.
5. 12 February 2010 . . Helen Clark Receiving Honorary Doctorate . Scoop News . 13 September 2024 . www.scoop.co.nz.
6. News: McNaughton . Maggie . Governor-General joins elite club . 14 September 2024 . . 13 November 2006.
7. Web site: About AWAWS . 13 September 2024 . AWAWS . en.
8. Web site: Professores Emeriti – The University of Auckland . 13 September 2024 . www.calendar.auckland.ac.nz.
9. Roy . J. . 1991 . The Character of Xenophon's Hellenica by Vivienne Gray (review) . Echos du Monde Classique: Classical News and Views . 35 . 3 . 347–350 . 1913-5416.
10. Web site: Vivienne Gray, "The Character of Xenophon's" - ProQuest . 2024-09-14 . www.proquest.com . . en.
11. Moles . John . 1992 . Gray . Vivienne . Xenophon's Hellenica . The Classical Review . 42 . 2 . 281–284 . 10.1017/S0009840X00283753 . 713209 . 0009-840X.
12. LaForse . Bruce . Fall 2010 . ON GOVERNMENT . Phoenix . en . 2024-09-14. .
13. Kroeker . Ron . 2008-12-01 . VIVIENNE GRAY (ed.), Xenophon on Government. Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics . Exemplaria Classica . es . 12 . 10.33776/ec.v12i0.68 . 2173-6839. free .
14. Review of: Xenophon. Oxford Readings in Classical Studies . Bryn Mawr Classical Review . 1055-7660.
15. Pontier . Pierre . 2012 . 9. Gray (Vivienne), Xenophon. Oxford Readings in Classical Studies . Revue des Études Grecques . 125 . 2 . 740–741.
16. Tamiolaki . Melina . 2013 . Xenophon's Mirror of Princes: Reading the Reflections by Vivienne J. Gray (review) . Classical World . 106 . 2 . 285–286 . 10.1353/clw.2013.0035 . 1558-9234.
17. Danzig . Gabriel . 2012 . Vivienne J. Gray, Xenophon's Mirror of Princes. Reading the Reflections, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. vii + 406 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-956381-4. . Scripta Classica Israelica . en . 31 . 196–199 . 2731-2933.
18. Review of: Xenophon's Mirror of Princes: Reading the Reflections . Bryn Mawr Classical Review . 1055-7660.