My deepest condolences to the family and friends of David. He was a man of unparalleled and unprecedented joy, honesty, and kindness. There was never a moment when he did not put others – especially his students – before himself. He was more than my professor and mentor – he was a friend. And he will be greatly missed.

I was greatly saddened to learn of David's death. My deep condolences to Pura and the rest of his family.

I knew David mainly from attending meetings of the APA and UK Classical Association and from my visits to Brown while I was teaching at Yale. He was always a most generous and kind spirit, gifted with wit and laughter, and a great interlocutor on matters classical and more. It was wonderful to be able to bring some of his many rich ideas into print. My abiding memory dates back to the 1990s, at a meeting of the UK Classical Association in Liverpool. It was my unenviable task to herd about 30 classicists into taxis and take them to a night club. When we finally arrived, I was rewarded by the sight of David  dancing away to the music. David will be sorely missed by many of us all over the world.

Caro David, tu per me sei immortale. È stata una vera gioia  conoscerti.  Sei un vero mensch.

Once, barely out of graduate school, I introduced myself to David at the end of a SCS session, adding that I had just finished reviewing his book, The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks.” “Aah” he replied with a mischievous glitter in his eyes, “shall I tremble in fear?” Immediately, he became curious about my own work and, after an afternoon chat, he offered to read the entire manuscript of my first book. Later, it seemed impossible to “ask a favor” from David because the joy which he expressed while helping us younger scholars transformed every interaction into an exchange between friends. As far as his own scholarship was concerned, he was so prolific that it appeared to me he was writing continuously, even in his sleep. When I told him that a conference in Brussels, he laughed but never denied it – so it must have been true. Sadness at hearing about David’s passing has pulled all the other pathê into a whirlpool. But other feelings are already surfacing, such as gratitude, admiration, and the desire to emulate his extraordinary presence. How many people achieve that rare balance between kindness and rigor, between discipline and enthusiasm, acquiring eudaimonia through skilled practice? If we succeeded in following his model, even by a little bit, we could live such wondrous and fulfilled lives.

I met David for the first time in the late 1990's, when he came to Brazil for the first time, invited by my colleague Jacyntho Lins Brandão, and then met him and Pura again many times, when they kindly supported my research period at Brown University between 2011 and 2016. I couldn't be more grateful to both of them during these periods, for their warm generosity in receiving me in Providence and at Brown and the commitment to helping me in developing my research.  They were and continue to be essential intellectual references in my career as teacher and researcher in classics . I simply couldn't imagine it without them. I met again David and Pura in May 2023, when they generously accepted my and Maria Cecília's invitation to give talks at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Once again, they amazed my colleagues and students with their competent and friendly approach to classics and the academic environment in general.  David was a really special human being, a very modest and sensitive person, but also a very youthful and joyful man and the highly creative and sophisticated researcher we all know. I lost a great friend and the world, a great scholar. His many students and admirers will miss him very much, but I'm sure they'll continue his extraordinary legacy, as he so uniquely taught us.

I am deeply sorry for the loss of the Professor David Konstan, who always treated me with immense generosity and did not hesitate to share his work and to write a note for the flap of my book "Mudas cinzas: Catulo e a poética do luto." His work and humanity have left indelible marks on the Brazilian academic community. My condolences to his entire family and friends.

I first met David in 2012, first by email correspondence and then in person soon thereafter, at a very memorable conference in Paris on the intellectual history of emotions. At the conference, David sat next to me during the talks and cracked jokes in my ear, and I spent much of this conference with my hand over my mouth, trying not to burst out laughing during the proceedings (not very good form at all…). During the many events that we participated in together since then (organised by him, by me, and - at the end - in collaboration with him) it was always this way: his irrepressible, mischievous wit brought joy and hilarity to every occasion, reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously and showing us what is really important, after all. David inspired and encouraged us all not only through his captivating work but also through his incredible warmth, generosity and friendship. We will always hold him dearly in our hearts.

David was one of the first academic teachers I met during my studies in Classics. Even if we spent only one week together and I was an undergraduate student he was very helpful and supportive. Our meeting was nearly ten years ago, and we have lost contact. But since I am doing my PhD I have many books by David on my desk waiting to be read. I recently thought about contacting him to tell him how much he helped and influenced me at the beginning of my studies. But now I can only send my deepest condolences to his family.

From the time I met David (during a job interview) he was so kind to and supportive of me, as he was to a myriad of other friends, students, and colleagues. Of course, I admired his scholarship, but it was his friendship on a personal level that always meant the most to me. I will be with him in thought and spirit always.

My deepest condolences. Rest in peace, David.

I met David Konstan at ICAN TWO in 1989 and one episode marked the beginning of a long friendship: during the extra-congress activities, we were given the choice between a bus ride and hyking. As I didn't know what hyking meant at the time, I opted for the latter and went in my walking suit and casual shoes. At one point during the walk we had to cross a stream. With my elegant high-heeled shoes (which were obviously destroyed), I overbalanced and fell into the water. It was dearest David who picked me up. The memory of this episode was a source of laughter whenever we met.
 Rest in peace, dearest friend!

Our friendship with David goes back 56 to when we were young faculty at Wesleyan, and we were neighbors when our children were growing up. He had a gift for friendship, along with his intellectual brilliance, unquenchable energy, and a sense of humor that went all the way to hilarious, which enabled him to find friends, colleagues and students in scores of colleges, universities, conferences and associations around the world. His absence leaves a hole in the world.

Iris and Rich Slotkin

It is with great sadness that I learned David Konstan is no longer with us. Although I only met David on a few occasions, he became an incredible source of support throughout my academic career.  At critical moments, he was always available with good advice and essential feedback. As someone who was not raised in an academic family, it was incredible helpful to be able to rely on David's generous  help and inside tips. He was a role model for all of us, and will be dearly missed.

Dear David, 
Your infectious joy and insightful judgement made knowing you and working with you a delight. I am so grateful for all you have done, and taught me, on the Oxford series we have been editing together. I remember so many event with great fondness, but most of all when you came to Manchester as a visiting scholar. I was trying to find a picture of you playing cricket (yes, cricket!) with my middle son, aged about 9 or 10, in our lane, but unfortunately I haven't been able to locate it. I'm sure your many friends will be able to imagine the kindness and enthusiasm you showed then, as always, with all sorts of people.
lots of love,
Alison 

Alison Sharrock
Classics, University of Manchester

David Konstan was an incredible Classics scholar and fine human being. He welcomed me to the Connecticut Classics community when he was at Wesleyan and I came to UConn. where I taught with his former mentor, Prof. Thomas Suits, who had moved from Columbia University. When David moved to Brown, my alma mater, we still saw each other frequently at Brown Classics events. His effervescent personality always brightened any gathering, while his deep and broad learning always added much to scholarly discussion.
He will be sorely missed.  

Allen Ward, Prof. Emeritus, UConn

David Konstan was not only a very distinguished scholar, who added so much to our understanding of love and friendship in the ancient Greek and Roman world, he was also a superlatively generous and noble human being, always ready to give his time to others and resourceful in finding ways to create community. All he did, he did without vanity or hype, in the simplest and most direct way, and was loved by so many for all that he was.  I am so glad I was his colleague and friend at Brown for many years: it was a privilege and a delight. My sympathy to Pura and all his family.


Martha Nussbaum

David Konstan was an inspiration for us all and will be missed by many. May he rest in peace.

Sua generosidade e inteligência serão sempre lembradas em todos os lugares por onde ele passou.

Dear Pura,
I am so sorry for your loss, and for the loss of our classics community. David’s generosity and joyfull friendliness are rare among us, and will be missed.

I first met David in Dunedin (NZ) in (around) 1990. Though he often called me his harshest critic we were friends for over 30 years and collaborated often in projects on ancient emotions, from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai. It was an absolute joy to have David and Pura in Edinburgh in 2013-14. My last glimpse of him was at around 2am one morning in a bar in New York: I was going to bed, exhausted and David was surrounded by young academics, buying drinks and telling his awful jokes. All my love, old friend.

It is impossible to put into words the feeling of loss that overcame me when hearing of David's death. A brilliant man, a true mensch and one of the funniest people that's ever walked  this planet. 
I met David when he gave a talk in Munich, and it changed my life (I was 21 at the time): We spent an afternoon strolling through the English Garden and making fun of just about anything. I am still laughing thinking about that day. David became the most wonderful mentor and friend. It was he who first introduced me to the world of North American Classics, and I would never be where I am today without him. One of David's greatest legacies - apart from his incredibly wide-ranging scholarship - is the way he supported young scholars and took genuine interest in their work. His generosity knew no bounds. How he found the time to do all this while traveling the globe and writing one book after another, I'll never know. David hasn't lived just one life but at least five, and he's been having a ball in all of them.
Nobody could pull off and get away with outrageous jokes like David. He had an incredible gift for interacting with people, making even the most serious ones laugh and the shyest ones open up. David used to say that he has the maturity of a 5-year old - no doubt that's one of the reasons why he was so great with kids. David held our Daniel in his arms when he was just 3 weeks old, and he would pick him up and whirl him about whenever we saw each other. Such happy moments!
David, thank you for everything. We are going to miss you terribly.

I knew Dave as a kid growing up in Middletown. My dad taught at Wesleyan with him and he lived down the road with his then-wife Loretta and their kids Tupi and Geoff, who were a few years younger than me and my sister Mary. We were always at each other’s houses for dinners and fun times. Our families travelled to Europe together one summer, visiting Greek ruins and digs in Italy. Dave was a constant source of fun and his laughter was unmistakable.  I didn’t see him much over the years, but he always showed up for important occasions. He wrote to me and my sister after our dad died in August 2021, and a few months later Dave and I met up for lunch on the Village. It was lovely seeing him after so many years and hearing how proud he was of his kids and grandkids. I watched the memorial today and felt how lucky his family was to have a man like him in their life.  The same can be said of anyone who ever met him, including me. Sending deepest condolences to the entire family.

David,

You are (because you will always be with us) the best colleague anyone could ever wish for and an example to us all. Kindness, generosity, warmth and humor. I loved running into you in the hallway at NYU or tapping on your door for a chat and was thrilled and proud to work with you on so many projects. If we can aspire to be 10 percent of the scholar, teacher, and friend you were then  we will be very lucky indeed. Your humanity touched so many and we will miss you immensely.

Peter Meineck
Classics, NYU

I am so sad to hear this news, but very grateful to have known David. He was a fine, adventurous scholar and a humane and convivial colleague, unfailingly encouraging to the young and generous to the established. We will miss his voice in our conversations, but we will go on learning from him for years to come.

Thank you for everything, professor Konstan. You are an example, not only of what it means to be a great classicist, but also of what it means to be a great lecturer and a great human being. I won’t forget the conversation we had last year. In just a quick walk through the streets of Belo Horizonte, you taught me a lot about how to handle some of the difficult things in life. Rest in peace, professor.

I was heartbroken when I heard about Prof. Konstan on Friday morning. Ten minutes before the news, I was thinking of emailing him about how he was doing on my way to the NYU Classics department. It's a tremendous loss to me, all my fellow students at NYU, and everyone who had the luck to get to know him. He is my role model in every aspect: kindness, warmth, liveliness, compassion, humor, support, and amazing scholarship. He is one of the best people I have known in this universe. 

My grief quickly expanded when I heard that on Wednesday, one day before his death, he was zooming into NYU's department faculty meeting, saying good things about me, one of his students. How could he be so nice and kind and selflessly helping anyone in need? The loss of him is tremendous and irreplaceable.  I feel the only way to express my immense gratitude is to carry on his legacy. He is our hero. 

I'm sorry I missed the funeral in person because of family duties. Also, it was too late for me to discover the livestream when it was finished. I cannot imagine how much grief and sorrow his family has to endure at this moment. I want to express my condolences and share my grief. Prof. Konstan will be a forever star that shines upon my heart, giving me light, warmth, and direction. 

May he rest in peace in heaven. 

Warmly,
Pei

I would like to add my tribute to David, whom I met at Brown, in 2000, as the generous supervisor of my one-year scholarship for my Ph.D. in Brazil. Since then I have met him many times. I had the honor of publishing a book to which he contributed a foreword. Last year, his paper  "Xenophon’s Subversive Socrates :A Reading of Memorabilia 4.1-4" was included in a special volume I edited for "Nuntius Antiquus" (https://periodicos.ufmg.br/.../nuntius.../issue/view/2160). April 2023 was his last visit to my university, where he and his dear Pura both gave lectures. I had the pleasure of taking the students under my supervision (undergraduates, M.A. and Ph.D. students) to listen to him. He treated all of them with his customary generosity. All the students were greatly affected and very happy to meet this amazing man who taught, delighted, and moved so many people with his "philia" and brilliant mind.
Maria Cecilia de Miranda N. Coelho (Filosofia/Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais/Brasil)

Dave was a family friend and colleague of my Dad, Kevin Whitfield, and my mom, Marilyn Katz when we all lived in Middletown and my dad was also at Wesleyan in the 1970s.  He was definitely the MOST FUN of all my parent's friends!  I have such wonderful memories of our trip to Europe and of our time as neighbor's, playing with Geoff and Eve and being subject to Dave's goofy pranks.  I chose this photo of Dave and my dad to share because it captures that incredible spirit, and also reminds me of my dad, who passed almost 3 years ago. They were great friends, and today I also speak for my dad in mourning the loss of this incredible man.

Querido David, 

Soy Valentina, todos estos años nos lo hemos pasado súper bien contigo en las cenas en Barajas y en tu casa en Salamanca, nos hacías reír y muchas cosquillas. 

Te queremos muchísimo y siempre te recordaremos en nuestros corazones. 

Valentina ♥️ Jaime ♥️ Nuria ♥️ Alejandro

As Froma writes, where to begin?  David was such a positive force of nature in our international community for so many decades to so many of us.
His way of being and his scholarly contributions exemplify values that we can and must perpetuate, as we honor his memory.

Nancy Felson

I hardly know where to begin.  I've known David ever since graduate school at Columbia in the late 60, meeting up again in Rome in summer 1975 and many times thereafter.s.  My last communication wa just a few days before he died.  In between we were in  frequent contact, sharing work, life,  and Jewish jokes.  I wrote a recommendation for his tenured appointment at Brown when he was still a prof at Wesleyan and followed him through all three wives (the last, Pura, dearly beloved).  I watched with astonishment as he went rom strength to strength: comedy, ancient novel, emotions, philosophy, and much much more.  Just take a look at his CV!! All the memories shared on this site recall almost uniformly his scholarship, his kindness, his wacky sense of humor, his loyalty.  I cannot imagine life without this bright star.  In short, so many memories, so much love,  Farewell, dear friend. May your  memory be for a blessing..z"l.

Une très grande tristesse m'a envahi à la nouvelle de la disparition de David qui, au-delà d'un collègue d'une érudition, d'une curiosité, d'une originalité et d'une acuité exceptionnelles, fut un ami très cher, qui m'a accueilli à plusieurs reprises à Brown et à New York avec ma famille. Sa bienveillance, en particulier à l'égard des jeunes chercheurs dont je fus, demeurera toujours pour moi un modèle exemplaire et précieux. Je pense aussi à son humour, sa bonne humeur et son optimisme constants, qui ne se démentirent pas jusqu'au bout. Son dernier séjour à Paris fut l'occasion de rencontres et de repas mémorables, que je n'oublierai pas. 
So long, mon très cher David.

David Konstan will forever live in our minds and hearts. Through his extraordinary learnedness, he taught us the emotions of the ancient Greeks and the importance of beauty in the ancient and modern world. But he will also be remembered for his kindness, generosity and wittiness. He will be greatly missed. My deepest condolences to his family.

From 11th Trends in Classics in Thessaloniki, May 2017

From 15th Trends in Classics in Thessaloniki, May 2022

David Konstan was a brilliant scholar, a prolific researcher an inspiring teacher, a great mentor, a generous soul. 

He was a staunch supporter of the Trends in Classics conference and Supplementary-volumes series, while he had a special love for Thessaloniki and Aristotle University.

May you rest in peace Prof. Konstan...

The World of Classics will be poorer from now on...

I was deeply saddened to hear about the loss of our dearest Prof. Konstan. He was not just a teacher but a mentor and a friend to us. His kindness, warmth, and humor touched so many students, including myself. His infectious laughter and positive attitude towards life have supported me whenever I’ve struggled with my studies and life challenges. Though Prof. Konstan may no longer be with us in person, his words, like “Every experience counts,” will continue to live on, will be treasured and remembered by us forever.
With deepest sympathy, 
Amy 
Taiwan

I was deeply saddened to hear about the loss of our dearest Prof. Konstan. He was not just a teacher but a mentor and a friend to us. His kindness, warmth, and humor touched so many students, including myself. His infectious laughter and positive attitude towards life have supported me whenever I’ve struggled with my studies and life challenges. Though Prof. Konstan may no longer be with us in person, his words, like “Every experience counts”, will continue to live on, will be treasured and remembered by us forever.
With deepest sympathy, 
Amy 
Taiwan

Sharing your irreplaceable loss on earth , of your most precious David. Much love and hugs, phyl toohey, Calgary X

You and David have been very important to me all these years since we first met, both as scholars and as friends, and I'll always have deep in my heart the many moments we were together in Providence and in Brazil. I couldn't want more supportive and warm friends and intellectual mentors.

Genève, August 2024, during the 69th Entretiens Hardt sur l’Antiquité classique. 
It was a privilege spend those days with him, discussing about Greece, New York, literature, classics and whatever, drinking and laughing. We will miss him. Deepest condolences to his family, from me and my wife Laura.

Siempre en nuestros corazones querido David, qué afortunados hemos sido por haberte tenido en nuestras vidas todos estos años. Has sido un regalo, un ejemplo a seguir y un gran maestro.  Tu ausencia nos deja desolados. Sin duda, el mundo es un lugar más triste sin tu sonrisa, fuerza y alegría. Te quieren tu Ana y tu Ale

I am so sorry to hear of David's passing. I met David when I was a graduate student, on the occasion of his brilliant lecture on Roman friendship at the University of Chicago, which was later incorporated into Friendship in the Classical World (1997). We started a correspondence then, which continued, sporadically, during and after his The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks (2007). He was amazingly energetic and generous, a model scholar and model human being. What a loss to us all. Condolences to Pura and the rest of the family.

Dear Pura,
My name is Sara Agliardi, and I am a doctoral student at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. I came to NYU last semester to work with David and had the immense pleasure of meeting him and sharing his office. This allowed me not only to meet an incredible scholar and an inspiring, caring person but also to hear countless stories and jokes that always brought a smile to my face when it was cold in New York and I missed home.  It was a true blessing for me as a person and as a young scholar to get to know and work with David. He will be dearly missed by many, but I am sure his legacy lives forth for countless years to come.
I offer my sincerest condolences to you and send my best greetings from Germany.

Yours,
Sara Agliardi

El doctor Konstan fue un hombre de honesta carcajada y de carácter agradable que brindó siempre un cariño leal a sus amigos mexicanos.  Una pena su partida. Abrazo a su esposa e hijos.

I am so heartbroken to hear of David's passing. He was a cherished mentor to me and so many other burgeoning scholars in the field. David was not only brilliant—a reservoir of knowledge and insight that felt bottomless—but he was also the humblest academic I have ever met. He was so incredibly gracious to advise my thesis (even as I was a grad student outside of Classics AND his institution), and his insights throughout our many meetings reshaped and challenged the way I thought about ancient texts. I can only imagine how busy his schedule looked, but you would truly never know because he responded to emails faster than anyone I’ve ever known. He was never too busy to check in, provide encouragement, or recommend a text. I will also forever be indebted to David for pushing me to pursue my dreams of attending graduate school, even after a disappointing first round of rejections—I will treasure his kindness and encouragement for the rest of my career.

I wish to convey my condolences to Pura and to all of David's family. I had the great pleasure of sharing some time with David at a conference here in Berlin Germany just this past February. He was his usual gracious, generous, energetic, and happy self. Sending you best wishes from afar at this difficult time.

I am deeply moved by the sudden loss of David Konstan. I had the privilege to work with David for many years, always learning from his immense erudition. David was a master in creating a joyous atmosphere on almost every occasion and most especially when he sensed my tension at my upcoming speech. I fondly recall sitting in a Thessaloniki conference panel next to him during the Covid era, just before presenting our talks. David saw a hand sanitizer bottle on the desk, almost brought it to his mouth and asks me: “Stavros is this a bottle of Ouzo”? Then he opens his laptop, scrolls down his paper and says “you see how fast I read my paper”?  It is a pity that this genius had to leave so soon because he still had a lot to offer to the Classics community as distinguished scholar and a cherished friend. David has been a stellar figure whose memory will always shine in my heart.

A very very wise man and always a gente and very fun company. He will be for ever in our memory and in our hearth.

Dionysus and Apollo contributed to David Konstan’s DNA.  David‘s scholarly genius was matched by a love of life and love in an ever expanding community of friends across the globe. Those of us who were his friends have never known anyone else quite like him. His laughter was infectious. His company joyful. His writing projects inspiring. His conversation engaging. His love for others intense. We became friends in 1971. Living on another coast, I had not seen him in recent years. Alas, I never expected the days were numbered for this Immortal.

Siento mucho el fallecimiento del Dr. Konstan, excelente persona y profesional.

David has been an invaluable friend, the wisest of mentors, and a shining model of humanitas - for me and, I know, for many others. On countless occasions over the years he was my guardian angel, and my debt to him is enormous. On Tuesday he wrote to me that our intimacy "is very special, and is to be cherished deeply". I will now cherish his memory, generosity, courage, and wisdom as part and parcel of his monumental scholarly achievements. All people like me who received the blessing of knowing him have a moral duty to keep his heritage alive - first of all by doing what he did every day until the very last moment: loving every human being and the cultural history of humankind. My deepest condolences to his admirable wife Pura and to all of his beautiful family.
I will greatly miss you, my teacher and friend, but you will never leave me. Non omnis morieris.

David Konstan was my professor at NYU about ten years ago. We read Latin lyric poetry together-- Catullus, Horace, Propertius, Tibullus, Sulpicia. The encouraging comments that he made on my paper about Horace 1.5 convinced me that I should pursue Classics in graduate school (just finishing my PhD now). Those words meant so much coming from him. I will never forget his ebullient kindness and quiet wit.

Mi más sentido pésame,  de corazón.
Emilio

He was a great Classical scholar and an enormously good person. He was equally sage and humble. We have been friends since I, with my colleague Manuel Sanz, invited him to give a talk in a Summer Course in Mérida (Spain), in 2001. Since then, we have collaborated in several research projects. I will never forget his warmth, intelligence, and sense of humour. He made the world a more pleasant place to live. 
An article by him, titled “Las emociones y el cuerpo: una relación complicada”, was and is due to appear in the next issue of journal Littera Aperta, edited by me. He mailed me last February, asking me for an update about the publication of the journal. I am terribly sorry that the article won’t appear on time for him to supervise its edition. His sudden loss has left me devastated. I send my most heart-felt condolences to Pura.

David was my guide during the two semesters I spent at Brown as a visiting scholar.  
He has also been a dear friend all these years. 
He has always been an attentive and passionate reader. 
Whenever I sent him something of mine, he replied immediately and always with enlightening comments and observations. 
He supported and encouraged me to the very end. Always! 
I owe him a great deal. 

Today, I feel a little more alone in the world. 
But his memory will always stay with me. 

Pietro Li Causi
University of Siena

He was a great scholar, but above all, he was always a dear friend. 
I will never forget everything he did for classical studies... and me.

We loved David for his warmth, his humour, his knowledge and for his willingness to share his qualities with others.  He was a great scholar, and a wonderful human being. It is so sad that he is no longer with us.
To Pura and to the rest of his family we send our deepest condolences.
Tony Molho and Zeta Gotsi

I met David at a conference in Stellenbosch in 2004. Fresh PhD-graduate, female, foreign, frazzled. We went on to co-author two papers together, and above all, become friends. It took him 17 years before blurting out in an email exchange, “you know, we think you’re genuine”. What he didn’t know is he inspired people to be genuine. And laugh at things, including ourselves: and so, he knew he had a terrible sense of fashion before meeting Pura. He was a genius, and he was genuine. And so his light will keep shining on everyone who knew him, and everyone who benefited from his generosity.
Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides

Dear all, please accept our warmest, most heartfelt condolences  for the sudden loss of our great colleague and friend David Konstan.
I have known David Konstan since I was a graduate student and he has been an incredible mentor and a friend. We will miss him at Uppsala University- we will miss his immense emotional and professional generosity, his jokes, his laughter. Missed but never forgotten. Academia is suddenly so poor without him.

To David's Family, 

I am so saddened to hear of David's passing.   He was a bright star who illuminated everyone and everything he touched.

He taught me and others in Latin and Greek at Wesleyan in the early 1980s. Those were the years when he was keenly interested in Greek and Roman comedy. He was always somewhat apologetic about choosing Terrence and Plautus as texts for second-year Latin students, but I have no regrets. His appreciation of comedy was infectious, and his classes were wonderful. We were in awe of his ability to give an impromptu lecture on, say, the relationship between left-handedness and Hephaestus' lameness--a 20-minute breather for us sophomores who hadn't prepared all the assigned passages. 

As a young woman who liked to think of herself as a feminist, I appreciated that he held the upper-level seminar courses late in the day for (mostly women) high school teachers who were suddenly required to earn a master's degree. His enthusiasm for the subject meant that class ran overtime and we missed dinner at the dining hall, but no regrets there either.  

 I have never had another professor so quick with an apt one-liner. When we were freshman, he'd recall a joke, but then say "When your seniors." He taught me Greek comedy as a senior, and he told us all those jokes he'd held back. There were many blushes amongst us. 

He always remembered who I was in later years, and he always took an interest. I was the beneficiary of his generosity. He would pay for coffee, or a beer and say "When you have tenure, you can pay me back." It's a line I use with my own students.

I shall miss him, but I am grateful for his teaching every time I walk into a classroom to teach Latin. He is always there with me in spirit. It was a privilege to know him and be taught and guided by him, the man who liked to claim that he could "never tell his as from his obol."

Alison Griffith
University of  Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand

OBITUARY

David Konstan

November 1, 1940 – May 2, 2024

Sugarman Sinai Memorial Chapel

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