by Caroline Alexander
(Viking Press)
The most ironic aspect of the long staying-power of The Iliad is the fact that it is almost always touted as "the greatest epic war story ever told." This often conjures images of John Wayne, flag-waving, and justifiable collateral damage. Caroline Alexander, bestselling author of The Bounty and Endurance, provocatively reminds us with strenuously-researched details that Homer's epic is truly the story of the horrors and inexplicable cruelty of war.
Achilles is a tortured hero battling in a war that puzzles him, its origins and purpose meaningless to him. Considering the current state of the world, this speaks volumes. It is only when events swoop down to a vividly personal level, with the death of his beloved Patroklos, that Achilles feels the need to reenter the fighting, inadvertently becoming the hero of the tale. Alexander's study is timely and clearly illustrates how war -- no matter when or where -- devastates, always leaving blood on our collective hands.
-- Chris Avena
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