![]() ![]() ![]() I took my time over this reading, tackling at least one of the 24 books of The Iliad each day and savouring the experience.Īs the excellent introduction by Bernard Knox explains, The Iliad is rich in themes and characterisation, but above all else it explores the notion of rage. Part of my summer holidays has been spent in reading his version because I wanted to be able to see how Malouf had transformed this ancient story. When I heard that one of my favourite writers, David Malouf, had written his new novel Ransom around the themes raised in The Iliad, it was a good opportunity to invest in the Robert Fagles translation which has been so widely praised. I still think it is essential reading, but I think the modern reader needs a good modern translation. There are very good reasons why this work has survived for nearly 3000 years and why it was, until comparatively recently, considered essential reading for any well-educated person. ![]() So for what it’s worth, I’d like to put it on record that I first read The Iliad many years ago at university, and found it compelling. Perhaps they assume that I am only interested in Australian Literature, as if it were somehow strange that I – like any other serious reader – might want to be thoroughly grounded in the great works of the Western canon. As the author of what are now 14 blog posts about James Joyce’s Ulysses(with more to come), I’ve been intrigued to see that a couple of my international readers have found it odd that an ANZ LitLover should be so interested in it. ![]()
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