Books by Homer

Homer is the legendary ancient Greek epic poet traditionally credited as the foundational author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the dual bedrock masterpieces of Western literature and classical mythology. Flourishing in the eighth or seventh century BC in Ionia along the coast of Asia Minor, Homer’s identity remains the subject of the celebrated 'Homeric Question,' which explores whether the epics originated from a single master poet or developed through centuries of oral performance by rhapsodes. Composed in majestic dactylic hexameter, the Iliad chronicles the wrath of Achilles during the final weeks of the Trojan War, while the Odyssey charts the perilous ten-year homecoming of Odysseus to Ithaca. Exploring eternal human themes of mortal glory, divine destiny, homecoming, hubris, and the tragic grief of war, Homer's poetry provided ancient Greece with its religious mythology, ethical curriculum, and literary identity, serving as an inexhaustible fountainhead of inspiration for world art, drama, and literature for nearly three millennia.