Dion Chrysostomos af Prusa er en central skikkelse i den senere græske litteratur; "mangesidig essayist" ville man nok kalde ham i vore dage.

I Jægeren skildrer han veloplagt en lille gruppe mennesker oppe i Euboias bjerge. De lever dér lykkeligt og enkelt "ifølge naturen", fjernt fra det fortumlede, kunstige bysamfund nede i lavlandet.

I Talen i Olympia fremsætter Dion sine tanker om universets opståen og sammenhæng. I forbindelse hermed diskuteres, om det er muligt at udforme skaberen og styreren af dette kosmos i menneskeskikkelse. Svaret lægges - anakronistisk - i munden på billedhuggeren Fidias, hvis statue af "Zeus, vor Fader" tronede inde i Olympia-templet. Den berømte billedhugger kommer ind på teknikken ved rejsningen af en sådan kolossal statue og gør nøje rede for sin egen og andres fortolkning af kunstværket.

De to småskrifter er vægtige bidrag til forståelse af Hellenismen.

Henrik Haarløv har også oversat Euripides: Kvinderne fra Troja, Teofrast: Mennesketyper eller Karaktéres og Sofokles: Ødipus i Kolonos.

English
Dio Chrysostom of Prusa is a central character in late Greek literature; nowadays one would probably call him a versatile essayist.

In Euboicu, he good-humouredly portrays a small group of people living high up in the mountains of Euboia. They live there in happiness and simplicity in accordance with nature, remote from the confusion and artificiality of the urban community in the lowlands.

In Olympicus, Dio expresses his views on the origin and the order of the universe. In connection to this, it is discussed whether or not it is possible to give the creator and ruler of this cosmos a human shape. The answer to this question is anachronistically put into the mouth of the sculptor Phidias whose statue of Zeus sat in state in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. The renowned sculptor goes into the techniques of erecting such a colossal statue and carefully states both his own interpretation and that of others of the work of art.

The two small writings are weighty contributions to an understanding of Hellenism.

Henrik Haarløv has also translated Euripides: Kvinderne fra Troja (The Trojan Women), Theophrastus: Mennesketyper eller Karaktéres (Ethical Characters) and Sophocles: Ødipus i Kolonos (Oedipus at Colonus).