Author

Homer

Homer
  • Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are unquestionably two of the greatest epic masterpieces in Western literature. Though more than 2,700 years old, their stories of brave heroics, capricious gods, and towering human emotions are vividly timeless.

    The Iliad can justly be called the world's greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns, the heroism and treachery of its combatants unmatched in song and story. Driven by fierce passions and loyalties, men and gods battle to a devastating conclusion.

    The Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars to his beloved wife, Penelope. Though the stormy god of the ocean has sworn vengeance against him, and witches and sirens try to lure him off course, Odysseus is clever and has the brilliant goddess Athena on his side.

  • One of the great masterpieces of Western literature, Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars. Though the stormy, vengeful god of the ocean is determined to keep him off course, Odysseus is clever and has the brilliant goddess Athena on his side. With wit, integrity, and bravery, Odysseus must escape the grip of the fearsome Cyclops, resist the deadly seductions of sirens and witches, and traverse the land of the dead to commune with his fallen comrades before returning to his beloved wife, who has waited for him for twenty years. A storehouse of Greek folklore and myth, Homer’s epic tale remains as captivating today as it was 2,700 years ago.

  • Homer’s Iliad can justly be called the world’s greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns, the heroism and treachery of its combatants unmatched in song and story. Driven by fierce passions and loyalties, men and gods battle to a devastating conclusion.

    “Homer is full of merriment, full of open fun and delicate comedy, even farce—as when Ares, wounded, bursts up to Olympus like a bomb. And the divine family! What a delightful natural party: human beings raised a degree or two, but all the same, funnier than that. They are the comic background for the tragedy below—for the story of Achilles is a tragedy—the fiery conflict of a man divided against himself, who in a few short days drops to the lowest hell of savagery, then rises to self-mastery and inward peace.”—W.H.D. Rouse

  • When this groundbreaking, serialized dramatization premiered on 320 US radio stations, critics were unanimous in their praise, and it won numerous honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Pulitzer Prize of broadcasting. Now twenty years after its first airing, Blackstone Audio is pleased to present this outstanding production.

    The 2,600-year-old poem tells of a man, a hero of cunning rather than brawn, who inhabits three worlds: first, the world of his own reality—his wife, his son, his home; secondly, the world of myth in which gods and demigods sport and battle; finally, the world of sorcerers and monsters, of magic and ghosts and unspeakable terrors. The exploration and interweaving of these three worlds contribute significantly to the delight that The Odyssey’s audience has experienced throughout the ages.

    Synopsis of Episodes:

    The Suitors of Penelope
    Commentary by Richard Posner, professor, law and government, University of Chicago

    The Voyage of Telemachus
    Commentary by Charles Bye, visiting professor, University of Athens

    Free at Last
    Commentary by Arthur Adkins and Wendy O’Flaherty, University of Chicago, and Gregory Nagy, Harvard University

    The Great Wanderings
    Commentary by Wendy O’Flaherty, University of Chicago

    Monsters of the Sea
    Commentary by Arthur Adkins, University of Chicago

    The Swineherd’s Hut
    Commentary by Arthur Adkins, University of Chicago

    A Beggar’s Homecoming
    Commentary by Eric Hamp, University of Chicago

    The Contest of the Bow
    Commentary by Albert Lord, Harvard University

    Program host: Edward Asner

    Cast:
    Irene Worth, Shepperd Strudwick, Barry Morse, John Glover, James Deuter, Eloise Kummer, David Mink, Ron Parady, Robert Scogin, Megan McTavish, Tony Mockus, Francis Guinan, Michael Rider, Jordean Culbert, Ward Ohrman

    Scholar Advisors:
    Peter Arnott, Tufts University; Jarl Dyrud, University of Chicago; Peter Green, University of Texas at Austin; Albert B. Lord, Harvard University; James M. Redfield, University of Chicago; and D. Nicholas Rudall, (chair) University of Chicago

    Announcer: John Doremus

    Made possible in part by grants from TRW and the National Endowment for the Humanities.