Review by Booklist Review
Despite centuries of intense inquiry interest, the story of the Greek siege of Troy remains an enigma. When, where, and why was the Iliad composed? Was it actually written by a person named Homer, or was it a collective effort? Archaeological evidence is ambiguous, but textual clues and modern research into Bosnian and central Asian oral poetry suggest a work calibrated for public recitation. Accomplished historian Fox (The Invention of Medicine, 2020) makes a spirited, erudite argument that the Iliad was indeed the work of one man in eastern Greece around the eighth century BCE. Practiced but not memorized--think jazz performance--the poem used sophisticated rhetorical tropes to captivate its audience and contemporary imagery to describe the events of a much earlier time. Eventually, the Iliad was written down, probably by a scribe more literate than its author. Inspired by a lifelong intimacy with the poem, Fox emphasizes its continued poignancy. But his true victory may be reminding us of the profound distance between us and Homer. The Iliad is "something we could not possibly now compose."
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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Oxford historian Lane Fox (Augustine) examines in this enlightening account the origins and the lasting impact of Homer's Iliad. Drawing on historical and archaeological evidence, he pinpoints the method and location of the poem's creation, suggesting that it was an oral narrative, with portions sung, that was dictated not long after its composition, which occurred along the Aegean Coast of Asia sometime between 750 and 740 BCE. (He zeroes in on such a precise time frame because it is bounded on the late end by the earliest appearance of lines from the poem on pottery shards, and on the early end by political and social developments which Homer seems to reference.) According to Lane Fox, the Iliad has endured because of the universal appeal of its themes, including the male heroes' fascination with kudos or fame, the divine intervention and intermittent absences of the gods, and the contrast between the glory of war and the futility of conflict. The shifting behavior of the hero, Achilles--from anger to rage to revenge and finally to pity and compassion--receives special attention. Combining a historian's meticulous methodology with a lifelong appreciation of the Iliad, Lane Fox presents a thorough reassessment of the poem and a moving interrogation of its themes of pathos, pity, and irony. It's a rewarding investigation. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A thorough analysis of "the world's greatest poem." Classicist Fox, author of Augustine and The Classical World and winner of the James Tait Black Award and Duff Cooper Prize, reminds readers that the verses of the Iliad survive in three times as many ancient papyri as those from the Odyssey, with other literary works far more scanty. At 15,000 lines, it's far longer than other Greek poems, but it remains distinctive for the "concentrated direction of its plot and the compression of its action's timespan." In this deeply learned literary companion, Fox makes use of more than 2,000 years of opinion and scholarship, settling many longstanding controversies to his own satisfaction. "It remains overwhelming," he writes. "It makes us marvel, sometimes smile and often cry. Whenever I read it, it reduces me to tears." The author maintains that an individual named Homer wrote the Iliad around 750-740 BC, rejecting the theory that it is a "patchwork" assembled by many poets. Fox points out that the poem contains accurate descriptions of landscape features in the relevant regions; together with archaeological findings, this satisfies him (and most scholars) that Troy was a real city, although it remains uncertain that a specific Trojan war took place. The author maintains that Homer is a master of literary pathos and irony, with perhaps Tolstoy being "his only equal." But there is no doubt that Hellenic culture of the era he describes, as well as the motivations of his characters, requires a nearly page-by-page explication. The result is a rich textual companion for university students majoring in classics or world literature with a rare bonus of being entirely free of turgid academic prose. For average readers, Fox's book contains far more information than they will want to know, although a Homer enthusiast will learn a great deal. A lucid, scholarly exploration into an immortal work. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
