Odyssey

HOMER’s identity is shrouded in mystery. Most scholars agree that an epic poet named Homer likely existed anywhere between 900 to 700 B.C.E. Legend, originating in antiquity, says that Homer was a blind bard from Ionia, but no account of Homer’s life can be verified. The Iliad and The Odyssey, the two epic poems attributed to Homer, which take place during the Trojan War and its aftermath, were derived from the oral storytelling tradition. Their method of composition—either by a single author or several bards working in tandem—remains unknown. The Homeric Poems are among the most significant narratives in the Greek and Western literary canon. Albert Cook is Professor of Comparative Literature, English, and Classics at Brown University, where he has taught since 1978. Author, poet, and playwright, he is the author of the critical studies The Classic Line: A Study of Epic Poetry, Myth and Language, and Soundings: On Shakespeare, Modern Poetry, Plato, and Other Subjects; the poetry collections Adapt the Living, Modulars, and Delayed Answers; and the plays The Death of Trotsky and Recall. His articles and poetry have appeared in scores of periodicals.