Audio book descriptionSongs on Bronze is the first major retelling of Greek mythology in half a century; a set of lively, racy, dramatic versions of the great myths, which, in a multicultural society, are recognized more than ever as stories without equal. Modern translations of the Greek myths have often sought to instruct, to edify, or to impart a personal philosophy. Songs on Bronze is different. Nigel Spivey gives us the Greek myths as the spellbinding stories they are. In bold, sensuous prose, he tells of Demeter and Persephone, of Jason and the Argonauts, of the wrath of Achilles and the travels of Odysseus, of Oedipus's crime, and Orpheus's excursion into the underworld. In his hands, these stories are revealed anew as outsize tales of love and strife, of secret compacts and open rivalries, of lust and desire.
Audio book descriptionPerhaps the greatest poem of the Western world, The Iliad tells the story of 50 critical days towards the end of the Trojan war. Achilles has quarrelled with Agamemnon and sulks in his tent, while Hector brings his Trojans to the brink of victory; but fate will have the last word.
Audio book descriptionOne of the most extraordinary achievements in world literary history. An immensely influential and compelling epic poem of the Trojan War, with characters whose names have become legendary. Too good to be relegated to the dustbin of high-school required reading, the first of Homer's epic poems tells of the counsel of Nestor, Achilles' slaying of Hector, and the defeat of the Trojans by the Greeks. (Translated by Samuel Butler.)
Audio book descriptionLittle is known about the Ancient Greek oral poet Homer, the supposed 8th century BC author of the world-read Iliad and his later masterpiece, The Odyssey . These classic epics provided the basis for Greek education and culture throughout the