The Iliad

“Part of the Iliad’s brilliance is that it only takes four or five days of the action but you feel like it captures the 10 years’ war as a whole.” Read more...

The best books on Ancient Greece

Christopher Pelling, Classicist

“A lot of people who had public school educations, classical educations, might have gone into the First World War thinking that they were fighting Homer’s war.” Read more...

The best books on War Writing

Kate McLoughlin, Literary Scholar

“Homer, like Shakespeare, encompassed all humanity in his work, and in The Iliad he encompasses peace as well as war.” Read more...

The best books on Peace

John Gittings, Journalist

“There are always new translations of The Iliad coming out, but this one has a very specific approach, both in terms of its philosophy of translation and its approach to the text.” Read more...

Daniel Mendelsohn on Updating the Classics (of Greek and Roman Literature)

Daniel Mendelsohn, Memoirist

“I think The Iliad has much to say to politicians now – it’s completely clear-eyed about collateral damage, about problems of post-conflict and about the ghastly things that happen to women and children in war.” Read more...

Charlotte Higgins on the Greats of Classical Literature

Charlotte Higgins, Journalist