Description: A worldwide exploration of the history, purpose, and inescapable influence of the Iliad and the Odyssey that will inspire readers to think anew about Homer's work
Review Quotes: Praise for the First Edition:
"Dazzling. . . . Manguel, who has read everything, will tell you where to find traces of the original--the Helen, the Cyclops, the Circe, the horse--in Icelandic sagas, fourteenth century danse macabre, Fellini's 8 1/2, Bergman's The Seventh Seal, and Jack and the Beanstalk. He devotes chapters to Homer as poetry, history, symbol, everyman, in translation and in Islam. And he himself writes like a dream of antiquity."--John Leonard, Harper's Magazine "[Manguel] brings both his passion for books and his fluency as a writer to this engaging study. . . . Highly recommended for general readers."--T. L. Cooksey, Library Journal "Nothing less than a history of literature itself."--Tom Holland, The Spectator "Brief but rich history of a mysterious bard and two wondrous works that serve as foundation for Western culture."--Kirkus Reviews