Description
Description
In this daring new work, the poet Alice Oswald strips away the narrative of the Iliad--the anger of Achilles, the story of Helen--in favor of attending to its atmospheres: the extended similes that bring so much of the natural order into the poem and the corresponding litany of the war-dead, most of whom are little more than names but each of whom lives and dies unforgettably and unforgotten in the copious retrospect of Homer's glance. The resulting poem is a war memorial and a profoundly responsive work that gives new voice to Homer's level-voiced version of the world. Through a mix of narrative and musical repetition, the sequence becomes a meditation on the loss of human life.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Luminous. . . . [Oswald] has made a poem that blooms out of slaughter.-- "New York Times Book Review"
Graceful and elegiac.-- "New York Daily News"
Audacious, powerful and beautiful.-- "NPR"
One of the best books of poetry I've read in years.-- "Cleveland Plain Dealer"
Remembering on a grand scale . . . with a freshness to match Homer's own--as if each soldier had died on the day of writing.-- "Observer"
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Pub date:
2013-11-18
Length:
112 pages

The Allstora Membership
Membership Perks:
- Save 30% on all online store purchases
- Exclusive access to author's content
- You pay less, but authors still earn double
Membership Terms:
First Month:
$0.00
Monthly price:
$5.00
- To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
- One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.

