Homer and His Iliad

By Robin Lane Fox

A "compelling and impressive" (Sunday Times) reassessment of the Iliad, uncovering how the poem was written and why it remains enduringly powerful

The Iliad is the world's greatest epic poem--heroic battle and divine fate set against the Trojan War. Its beauty and profound bleakness are intensely moving, but great questions remain: Where, how, and when was it composed and why does it endure?

Robin Lane Fox addresses these questions, drawing on a lifelong love and engagement with the poem. He argues for a place, a date, and a method for its composition--subjects of ongoing controversy--combining the detailed expertise of a historian with a poetic reader's sensitivity. Lane Fox considers hallmarks of the poem; its values, implicit and explicit; its characters; its women; its gods; and even its horses.

Thousands of readers turn to the Iliad every year. Drawing on fifty years of reading and research, Lane Fox offers us a breathtaking tour of this magnificent text, revealing why the poem has endured for ages.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1541600444
• ISBN13: 9781541600447
• Release Date: October 2023
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.1" x 9.5"