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Random House, Inc.
A brilliant Homeric fable in miniature for our times -- a lyrical and surprising reworking of the story of the Trojan war by an acclaimed international writer.
What happens when a young prince falls in battle and his body is spirited away to be desecrated and dishonoured? … More »
A brilliant Homeric fable in miniature for our times -- a lyrical and surprising reworking of the story of the Trojan war by an acclaimed international writer.
What happens when a young prince falls in battle and his body is spirited away to be desecrated and dishonoured? … More »
Random House, Inc.
A brilliant Homeric fable in miniature for our times -- a lyrical and surprising reworking of the story of the Trojan war by an acclaimed international writer.
What happens when a young prince falls in battle and his body is spirited away to be desecrated and dishonoured? His death is the battle price of another young man's death, but what price dishonour and a father's grief?
In this exquisite gem of a novel, David Malouf shines new light on Homer's Iliad, adding twists and reflections, as well as flashes of earthy humour, to surprise and enchant. His version opens with Achilles, maddened by grief at the death of his friend Patroclus. From the walls of Troy, King Priam watches the body of his son Hector being dragged behind Achilles' chariot. There must be a way, he thinks, of reclaiming the body -- of pitting compromise against heroics, new ways against the old, and of forcing the hand of fate. Dressed simply and in a cart pulled by a mule, an old man sets off for the Greek camp. Lyrical, immediate and heartbreaking, Malouf's fable engraves the epic themes of the Trojan war onto a perfect miniature -- themes of war and heroics, hubris and humanity, chance and fate, the bonds between soldiers, fathers and sons, all newly burnished and brilliantly recast for our times.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Gardners
Focuses on Homer's "Iliad", adding twists and reflections and flashes of earthy humour. This work engraves the epic themes of the Trojan war onto a miniature - themes of war and heroics, hubris and humanity, chance and fate, the bonds between soldiers, and fathers and sons.
« Less
A brilliant Homeric fable in miniature for our times -- a lyrical and surprising reworking of the story of the Trojan war by an acclaimed international writer.
What happens when a young prince falls in battle and his body is spirited away to be desecrated and dishonoured? His death is the battle price of another young man's death, but what price dishonour and a father's grief?
In this exquisite gem of a novel, David Malouf shines new light on Homer's Iliad, adding twists and reflections, as well as flashes of earthy humour, to surprise and enchant. His version opens with Achilles, maddened by grief at the death of his friend Patroclus. From the walls of Troy, King Priam watches the body of his son Hector being dragged behind Achilles' chariot. There must be a way, he thinks, of reclaiming the body -- of pitting compromise against heroics, new ways against the old, and of forcing the hand of fate. Dressed simply and in a cart pulled by a mule, an old man sets off for the Greek camp. Lyrical, immediate and heartbreaking, Malouf's fable engraves the epic themes of the Trojan war onto a perfect miniature -- themes of war and heroics, hubris and humanity, chance and fate, the bonds between soldiers, fathers and sons, all newly burnished and brilliantly recast for our times.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Gardners
Focuses on Homer's "Iliad", adding twists and reflections and flashes of earthy humour. This work engraves the epic themes of the Trojan war onto a miniature - themes of war and heroics, hubris and humanity, chance and fate, the bonds between soldiers, and fathers and sons.
« Less
Imprint:
London - Chatto & Windus
Pages:
224
ISBN:
9780701184155, 0701184159
Language:
English
Statement of responsibility:
David Malouf
Characteristics:
224 p. ;,21 cm.
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Add a CommentThe warrior Achilles reflects on the path that has led him to the Trojan war, this is a very different approach to a character who was most characterized by pride, battle prowess and rage. Instead he is grief stricken figure, and trapped by his anger, wishes for a way to end it; this is a person whom readers can sympothize with, and whom Priam comes to plead with. Priam too has been given great depth, for it is not as a king that he acts but for himself. He too looks inward for he considers what it is to be royalty, and what it is to be an ordinary man. Both characters have been given new depths which make this a neat addition to the Trojan tale. Also, the author has clearly done his research on ancient Greece
An expansion on part of the Trojan War story about how Hector's father, the king of Troy, negotiates with Achilles for the return of his son's body. For a brief moment the carnage of the war in interrupted by a father-to-father exchange. While not much happens, it is a beautifully told story.
This is a short lyrical novel by an award-winning Australian author about the Trojan war and a face to face meeting between Priam, king of Troy, and Achilles, Greek champion and killer of Hector, Priam's son. Malouf's attention to small details humanizes and makes real a story from another time and culture.