Scholar Andrew Dalby delves into the world that first heard the Odyssey and the Iliad, asking new questions about the poet named Homer. Rediscovering Homer follows the growth of the legend of Troy from a kernel of historical truth into an unforgettable story that a succession of singers re-created for generations of audiences. Dalby asks why and how the two great epics crossed the frontier from song to writing while finding new approaches to the personality of Homer and showing how the earliest evidence has been misread. He makes a powerful case that both poems are the work of a single poet, but it is his conclusion that will surprise even serious classical scholars: Homer was most likely a woman.

About the Author
Andrew Dalby is an historian and linguist with a long-standing interest in oral literature. He has written about food, wine, and pleasure in the ancient world. He lives in France.

Reviews
"We will never know precisely how the Iliad and the Odyssey made their way into writing. And we will always ask. Rediscovering Homer opens up for an intelligent non-specialist reader what is at issue when we ask such questions, and it does so in a clear and attractive manner." Matthew Leigh, The Times Literary Supplement "Rediscovering Homer enables the general reader to understand the art of oral poetics and how and when the Iliad and the Odyssey might have been composed. These are big questions and they are discussed at length." The Times Higher Education Supplement "Andrew Dalby summarises with great clarity the contents and significance of the two great works as they have survived." John Sutherland, Financial Times"



Book Information
ISBN 9780393330199
Author Andrew Dalby
Format Paperback
Page Count 302
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 376g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 142mm * 20mm