Homer iliad and odyssey biography samples

Praise for the First Edition:
 
“Dazzling. . . . Manguel, who has read everything, will tell you where to find traces of the original—the Helen, the Cyclops, the Circe, the horse—in Icelandic sagas, fourteenth century danse macabre, Fellini’s 8 1/2, Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, and Jack and the Beanstalk. He devotes chapters to Homer as poetry, history, symbol, everyman, in translation and in Islam. And he himself writes like a dream of antiquity.”—John Leonard, Harper’s Magazine
 
“[Manguel] brings both his passion for books and his fluency as a writer to this engaging study. . . . Highly recommended for general readers.”—T. L. Cooksey, Library Journal
 
“Nothing less than a history of literature itself.”—Tom Holland, The Spectator
 
“Brief but rich history of a mysterious bard and two wondrous works that serve as foundation for Western culture.”—Kirkus Reviews

Although very little is known about the life of Greek poet Homer, credited with being the first to write
down the epic stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey, the impact of his tales continues to reverberate
through Western culture.

Synopsis

The Greek poet Homer was born sometime between the 12th and 8th centuries BC, possibly somewhere
on the coast of Asia Minor. He is famous for the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, which have had
an enormous effect on Western culture, but very little is known about their alleged author.

The Mystery of Homer

Homer is a mystery. The Greek epic poet credited with the enduring epic tales of The Iliadand The
Odyssey is an enigma insofar as actual facts of his life go. Some scholars believe him to be one man;
others think these iconic stories were created by a group. A variation on the group idea stems from the
fact that storytelling was an oral tradition and Homer compiled the stories, then recited them to
memory.

Homer’s style, whoever he was, falls more in the category of minstrel poet or balladeer, as opposed to a
cultivated poet who is the product of a fervent literary moment, such as a Virgil or a Shakespeare. The
stories have repetitive elements, almost like a chorus or refrain, which suggests a musical element.
However, Homer’s works are designated as epic rather than lyric poetry, which was originally recited
with lyre in hand, much in the same vein as spoken-word performances.

All this speculation about who he was has inevitably led to what is known as the Homeric Question—
whether he actually existed at all. This is often considered to be the greatest literary mystery.

When He Was Born

Much speculation surrounds when Homer was born, because of the dearth of real information about
him. Guesses at his birth date range from 750 BC all the way back to 1200 BC, the latter because The
Iliad encompasses the story of the Trojan War, so some scholars have thought it fit to put the poet and
chronicler