David Konstan

{{Short description|American classicist and academic (1940–2024)}}

{{infobox academic

|name=David Konstan

|birth_date={{birth date|1940|11|1}}

|death_date={{death date and age|2024|5|2|1940|11|1}}

|nationality=American

|occupation={{flatlist|

• Classicist
• academic

}}

|education=Columbia University (BA, MA, PhD)

}}

(Jay) David Konstan (November 1, 1940 – May 2, 2024) was an American classicist and academic, known for his work on notions of emotion and beauty in the ancient world,{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5203763/emotions-history-lent/|title=The Way People Experience Emotion Evolves Over Time. Recognizing That Fact Has Changed Our Understanding of the Past|magazine=Time|date=19 March 2018 |language=en|access-date=2018-11-26}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.salon.com/2015/01/03/the_secret_history_of_beauty_how_the_greeks_invented_western_civilizations_biggest_idea/|title=The secret history of beauty: How the Greeks invented Western civilization's biggest idea|date=2015-01-03|work=Salon|access-date=2018-11-26|language=en-US}} as well as others on Latin poetry, Epicurean philosophy, the Greek novel, ancient ideas of friendship, and other topics. A Professor of Classics at NYU, he previously spent three decades teaching at Brown University, where he was John Rowe Workman Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Classics and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature.

Konstan received his B.A. (in mathematics), M.A., and Ph.D. (in Latin) degrees, all from Columbia University.{{Cite web |title=Konstan, David |url=https://vivo.brown.edu/display/dkonstan#Background |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=vivo.brown.edu |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Bookshelf {{!}} Columbia College Today |url=https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/archive/jan_feb11/bookshelf |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=www.college.columbia.edu}}

Konstan died May 2, 2024, at the age of 83.{{Cite web |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/providence-ri/david-konstan-11797223 |title=David Konstan |publisher=Dignity Memorial |access-date=May 4, 2024}}