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The Greek Generals Talk
In fictional recreations, twelve Greek generals describe their experiences during the battles and long siege of the Trojan War
164 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1986
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December 16, 2018
Told in first person campfire tale-style by twelve Greek generals who survived well into old age from the Trojan War, this is an excellent short novel that carries across the feel of a soldierly memoir in the twilight of life, and resonates with the triumphs and the regrets of the veterans, their sorrrows and their nostalgia for times past and lost comrades.
Although it's simple in its storytelling and the prose reads easily, the stories themselves aren't that easy because they require you know your Homer well. The author won't spoon-fed you nor will he explain it all to you, it's all in The Iliad and surrounding mythology already, and if you aren't familiar with that, their stories might not be comprehensible. The very names of the generals--Diomedes, Thoas, Meges, Thrasymedes, Meriones, Eurypylus, Machaon, Sinon, Menestheus, Neoptolemus, Pheidippus, and Thersites--won't be so familiar, save for perhaps the first and the last plus Achilles' son, because they're not the most famous of the Achaean camp. The interlocutor whom they tell their memories of Troy remains nameless in this book, being referred to variously as a foreign guest, a grandson, a herald, etc.; and it's only in the next book, The Trojan Generals Talk, when they're named. It turns out it's a pair of Hittite personages travelling 'round to track down the remaining veterans and get their tales on record, about 50 years after the Sack of Troy, which also explains why the narrators aren't the most known: the celebrity generals of both camps are long dead. And to give it the feel of spoken reminiscences, Parotti assigned each general's POV a distinctive voice that fits their personality: the polite and dignified Diomedes, the harsh and arrogant Neoptolemus living off of his father's glory, the bragging and lustful Thersites...
Although it's simple in its storytelling and the prose reads easily, the stories themselves aren't that easy because they require you know your Homer well. The author won't spoon-fed you nor will he explain it all to you, it's all in The Iliad and surrounding mythology already, and if you aren't familiar with that, their stories might not be comprehensible. The very names of the generals--Diomedes, Thoas, Meges, Thrasymedes, Meriones, Eurypylus, Machaon, Sinon, Menestheus, Neoptolemus, Pheidippus, and Thersites--won't be so familiar, save for perhaps the first and the last plus Achilles' son, because they're not the most famous of the Achaean camp. The interlocutor whom they tell their memories of Troy remains nameless in this book, being referred to variously as a foreign guest, a grandson, a herald, etc.; and it's only in the next book, The Trojan Generals Talk, when they're named. It turns out it's a pair of Hittite personages travelling 'round to track down the remaining veterans and get their tales on record, about 50 years after the Sack of Troy, which also explains why the narrators aren't the most known: the celebrity generals of both camps are long dead. And to give it the feel of spoken reminiscences, Parotti assigned each general's POV a distinctive voice that fits their personality: the polite and dignified Diomedes, the harsh and arrogant Neoptolemus living off of his father's glory, the bragging and lustful Thersites...
Displaying 1 of 1 review