HOMER'S THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY A Biography

Alberto Manguel's meticulous appreciation of Homer starts before the bard's epics were written and continues to the present. He discusses Homer's influence on a range of cultures and writers, down to the level of single metaphorical phrases. This sounds exhausting, but his love for his subject keeps it hypnotic, and Michael Prichard's delivery captures that emotional investment. Prichard evokes Homer's majesty as he reads the verse, and Manguel's admiration for the poet as well. A number of selections in the original Greek are included, as well as numerous translations and passages in other languages. Prichard declaims them all with a strong feel for cadence. He knows how to shift from a line describing intense violence to a scholarly gloss on the line without losing his listeners. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2008]