Into the Forest discussion

I’ve put a couple of books under Homer that might be of interest:

War Music: An Account of Homer's Iliad by Christopher Logue.
Christopher Logue’s War Music: An Account of Homer's Iliad is more of a re-imagining than a re-telling of the Iliad. His poem includes many of the same characters and conflicts. But Logue uses the original poem as a skeleton which he fleshes out by stamping his unique mark on it. He deviates from the original; injects personal commentary; inserts references to post-Homeric historical events, including World War II; and endows his characters with a surprisingly modern diction and attitude.
His is a stunning feat of the imagination wrapped in a poem that delights and amazes.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Omeros by Derek Walcott.
Omeros (the Greek name for Homer) by Derek Walcott is a challenging, multi-layered epic poem in seven books. Although the poem does not retell Homer’s works, it does feature characters in the Iliad and Odyssey and is replete with references to Greek mythology.
The primary thread is set in the Caribbean island of St. Lucia and involves fishermen and other sundry characters populating the island, many of whom merge with their Homeric counterparts.
Walcott’s rhythmic lines of poetry are musical, vibrant, resonant, stunningly beautiful, and replete with images and metaphors shimmering with color.
A challenging poem to read but well worth the effort. Highly recommended.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson.
There are many translations of the Odyssey, but I think this is the first one translated by a woman. Emily Wilson’s translation invites a new reading of Odyssey. She makes some interesting choices in terms of diction. Her unabashedly gendered perspective exposes some of the gender bias in previous translations. Her translation has the advantage of fleshing out the female characters, treating them with sympathy. Her language is accessible, stripping the poem of its grand epic tone. A worthwhile read.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I will one day read Wilson's translation of The Odyssey.

I was a member of a goodreads group established when her book came out. It was set up by one of her colleagues at the university where she teaches. We had a lot of fun. You might enjoy browsing through the discussion.

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...