Alexis (poet)

This article is about Alexis the Greek Comic poet. For the village in Illinois, USA see Alexis, Illinois and for the township in Nebraska, USA see Alexis Township, Nebraska

Alexis (c.375 - c.275 BC) was a Greek comic poet of the Middle Comedy, born at Thurii and taken early to Athens, where he became a citizen.

He won his first Lenaean victory in the 350s most likely, where he was sixth after Eubulus, and fourth after Antiphanes.

Plutarch says that he lived to the age of 106, and that he died on the stage while being crowned. According to the Suda, he wrote 245 comedies, of which some 130 titles are preserved. Only fragments of any of the plays have survived - about 340 in all, totalling about 1000 lines. They attest the wit and refinement of the author (Koch, Comicorum Atticorum Fragmenta).

The Suda also calls him Menander's uncle, but an anonymous tractate on Comedy more plausibly states that Menander was his pupil. Alexis was known in Roman times; Aulus Gellius noted that Alexis' plays were used by Roman comedians, including Turpilius and possibly Plautus.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)