Homer: A Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Elton T.E. Barker, Joel Christensen

Widely revered as the father of Western literature, Homer was the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey, the epic poems which immortalised such names as Achilles, Cyclops, Menelaus, and Helen of Troy. In this vivid introduction, Elton Barker and Joel Christensen celebrate the complexity, innovation and sheer excitement of Homer’s two great works, and investigate the controversy surrounding the man behind the myths – asking who he was and whether he even existed.
From soap operas to Salman Rushdie, the authors also highlight just how much we owe Homer and why he has been so influential. Perfect for new readers of the great poet but full of insights that will delight Homeric experts, it will inspire you to discover (or rediscover) his epic masterpieces first-hand.

Genres: Classics, Nonfiction

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2013

Reviews

[David Kowalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magnificent introduction and analysis of Homer's work that covers much of the recent studies and takes a meta approach to Homer's enduring influence of modern culture. I found it engaging, witty and profound. Excellent for new readers as well as those returning to the works of Homer. Highly recommended.

[Banbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book's straightforward and organized language will make Homer more accessible to readers, and yet itself is subtle and sophisticated. It highlights many of the literary threads that run throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey; demonstrating each book's internal cohesiveness, and also how the Odyssey often responds to the Iliad. This book points out interesting word play that exists in the original Greek, and discusses the important (and timeless) themes of these great works by Homer.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. A great supplemental text to Homer's work.

[Samrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction, full of contextual and cross-textual references between the two Homeric epics and projections of the narrative world they were operating in, finished with an instructive further reading section I'll probably never get to but shall hope to reach.

Christensen's Painful Signs substack is also phenomenal, and I look forward to seeing how it stacks up to this guide once it's finished.

[Omri Flicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic guide to read along with the Iliad and the Odyssey. Highly recommended!