"In this passionate, deeply personal book, Adam Nicolson explains why Homer matters-- to him, to you, to the world--in a text full of twists, turns and surprises. In a spectacular journey through mythical and modern landscapes, Adam Nicholson explores the places forever haunted by their Homeric heroes. From Sicily, awash with wildflowers shadowed by Italy's largest oil refinery, to Ithaca, southern Spain, and the mountains on the edges of Andalusia...

In this work the author conveys the uniques delights of Homer's epics as she focuses on the crucial scenes, or moments, that mark the high pints of the narratives: Penelope and Odysseus meet for the first time in twenty years; young Telemachus boldly confronts the angry suitors; Achilles gives way to boundless grief at the death of Patroclus. The author demonstrates a way of reading Homer's poems that yields up their hidden treasures. With an alert...