Diogenes the Dog-Man

In this story, the protagonist argues with the sages, uses a herring to disperse the crowd, beats his students with a stick, and generally ‘does everything wrong.’

Diogenes famously spent his nights in a barrel—or, to be more precise, a large ceramic jar—and days wandering the streets, fooling around and provoking the public. Sent by his father to Athens to study, the young Androsthenes first sees him at Plato’s Academy, then in the city square as Anaximenes is giving a public speech, and finally in a tavern, where they also find Demosthenes having a glass of wine. Every famous orator or philosopher they meet ends up outwitted and mocked by the clever tramp in a shabby fish-smelling coat—and the more mischievous his tricks, the more Androsthenes gets interested in the old man. But what will Androsthenes make of this encounter? Will he return to the Academy or learn to live like his eccentric mentor? And what will happen with the dog-man himself?