Description: As a didactic explanation of pagan ancient Greek culture to Orthodox Christians, John Tzetzes's Allegories of the Iliad is deeply rooted in the mid-twelfth-century circumstances of the cosmopolitan Comnenian court. As a critical reworking of the Iliad, it is part of the millennia-long global tradition of Homeric adaptation.
Brief description: Adam J. Goldwyn is Assistant Professor of Medieval Literature and English at North Dakota State University.
Review Quotes: Goldwyn and Kokkini have provided English-speakers with a wonderful edition of Ioannes (John) Tzetzes's Allegories of the Iliad... The poem itself is beautiful and can be appreciated on its own. Scholars, however, will take a special interest in the translators' faithful yet fluid rendering of the Greek... Many thanks are due the translators and Harvard University Press for making this less-known, fascinating work available to modern audiences. The elegant presentation is a bonus.--F. A. Grabowski "Choice" (11/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)