Nagy, Gregory2021-01-142020-06-05Nagy, Gregory. 2020.06.05. "The Library as a garden of the Muses." Classical Inquiries. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:hul.eresource:Classical_Inquiries.https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37366735In the Candide of Voltaire, first published in 1759, the last words famously read: mais il faut cultiver notre jardin ‘but we must cultivate our garden’. Following such a mandate, I return here to cultivate a garden of my own delights—the idea of the ancient Library of Alexandria as a garden of the Muses. The occasion for my return is a feast day of sorts, a Festival of the Muses, celebrated in June 2020 at the Center for Hellenic Studies in its own lush garden, virtual as well as real.en-USJournal Article2021-01-14