The Iliad is often described as a poem about war, which is true, and about anger, which is truer. It is also a poem about grief, about the fragility of cities, about horses, weather and the way a single quarrel can bring down a world. This reading group gives it four slow winter evenings.
Each session covers six books of the poem. Participants are asked to read them in advance in any English translation; Emily Wilson’s, Richmond Lattimore’s and Robert Fagles’s versions all work well, and comparing them is part of the pleasure. No knowledge of Greek is needed, and no previous experience of the classics.
How the evenings work
Each meeting opens with a short introduction to the books in question, followed by close reading of two or three passages chosen in advance. The rest of the evening is conversation, led by the group as much as the convenor. Questions, disagreements and favourite similes are all welcome.
The group meets in person in a quiet first-floor reading room, and online for those who cannot travel. Online participants join the same discussion through a single camera and microphone, and are invited to speak as often as those in the room.
Booking
- The ticket covers all four sessions; single evenings are not sold separately
- Places are limited to twenty-four in the room, with additional online places
- A reading list and a short guide to translations are sent on booking
Tea and biscuits are provided. The reading room is on the first floor and is reached by stairs; please contact us in advance if you need step-free access, and we will arrange the ground-floor room instead.
