Overview

Homer's mythological tales of war and homecoming, the Iliad and the Odyssey, are considered to be two of the most influential works in the history of Western literature. Yet their author, 'the greatest poet that ever lived' is something of a mystery. By the 6th century BCE, Homer had already become a mythical figure, and even today the debate continues as to whether he ever existed. Barbara Graziosi considers Homer's famous works, and their impact on readers throughout the centuries. She shows how the Iliad and the Odyssey benefit from a tradition of reading that spans well over two millennia, from the impressive scholars at the library of Alexandria, in the third and second centuries BCE, who wrote some of the first commentaries on the Homeric epics. Summaries of these scholars' notes made their way into the margins of Byzantine manuscripts; from Byzantium the annotated manuscripts travelled to Italy; and the ancient notes finally appeared in the first printed editions of Homer, eventually influencing our interpretation of Homer's work today. Along the way, Homer's works have inspired artists, writers, philosophers, musicians, playwrights, and film-makers. Exploring the main literary, historical, cultural, and archaeological issues at the heart of Homer's works, Graziosi analyses the enduring appeal of Homer and his iconic works.

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9780198788300

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Reviews

This highly readable, svelte volume offers a lucid and learned introduction that is characteristically attuned to key moments in the afterlife of the Iliad and Odyssey. Not only do we get a sensitive and fresh survey of the poems themselves and their ancient contexts (including roots in oral tradition, relationships with Near Eastern literature, and the evidence for a Trojan War). She also renews our awareness of the later impact of this earliest Greek literature, from Vergil to Primo Levi. Rich in detailed readings and packed with hints for further exploration, Graziosi's book provides the most up-to-date and reliable guide to the appreciation of two eternally relevant epics. Richard Martin

`Graziosis analyses of the literary, linguistic, historical, cultural, and archaeological issues surrounding the poems are remarkable feats of compression, succinct yet richly detailed.' Kirkus `This highly readable, svelte volume offers a lucid and learned introduction that is characteristically attuned to key moments in the afterlife of the Iliad and Odyssey. Not only do we get a sensitive and fresh survey of the poems themselves and their ancient contexts (including roots in oral tradition, relationships with Near Eastern literature, and the evidence for a Trojan War). She also renews our awareness of the later impact of this earliest Greek literature, from Vergil to Primo Levi. Rich in detailed readings and packed with hints for further exploration, Graziosi's book provides the most up-to-date and reliable guide to the appreciation of two eternally relevant epics.' Richard P. Martin, Antony and Isabelle Raubitschek Professor in Classics, Stanford University

Graziosis analyses of the literary, linguistic, historical, cultural, and archaeological issues surrounding the poems are remarkable feats of compression, succinct yet richly detailed. Kirkus This highly readable, svelte volume offers a lucid and learned introduction that is characteristically attuned to key moments in the afterlife of the Iliad and Odyssey. Not only do we get a sensitive and fresh survey of the poems themselves and their ancient contexts (including roots in oral tradition, relationships with Near Eastern literature, and the evidence for a Trojan War). She also renews our awareness of the later impact of this earliest Greek literature, from Vergil to Primo Levi. Rich in detailed readings and packed with hints for further exploration, Graziosi's book provides the most up-to-date and reliable guide to the appreciation of two eternally relevant epics. Richard P. Martin, Antony and Isabelle Raubitschek Professor in Classics, Stanford University

Author Information

Professor Barbara Graziosi teaches Classics at Durham University. She is the author of Inventing Homer (Cambridge University Press, 2002), and together with Johannes Haubold she wrote Homer: The Resonance of Epic (Duckworth, 2005), and completed a commentary on Iliad 6 for the Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics (Cambridge University Press, 2010). Together with Emily Greenwood she edited Homer in the Twentieth Century: Between World Literature and the Western Canon (Oxford University Press, 2007), and she co-edited the Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies (2009), along with George Boys-Stones and Phiroze Vasunia.

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