Homer Popular Books

Homer Biography & Facts

Homer (; Ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος [hómɛːros], Hómēros; born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν, tēn Helláda pepaídeuken). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary. Works attributed to Homer Today, only the Iliad and the Odyssey are associated with the name 'Homer'. In antiquity, a large number of other works were sometimes attributed to him, including the Homeric Hymns, the Contest of Homer and Hesiod, several epigrams, the Little Iliad, the Nostoi, the Thebaid, the Cypria, the Epigoni, the comic mini-epic Batrachomyomachia ("The Frog–Mouse War"), the Margites, the Capture of Oechalia, and the Phocais. These claims are not considered authentic today and were by no means universally accepted in the ancient world. As with the multitude of legends surrounding Homer's life, they indicate little more than the centrality of Homer to ancient Greek culture. Ancient biographical traditions Some ancient accounts about Homer were established early and repeated often. They include that Homer was blind (taking as self-referential a passage describing the blind bard Demodocus), that he resided at Chios, that he was the son of the river Meles and the nymph Critheïs, that he was a wandering bard, that he composed a varying list of other works (the "Homerica"), that he died either in Ios or after failing to solve a riddle set by fishermen, and various explanations for the name "Homer" (Ὅμηρος, Hómēros). Another tradition from the days of the Roman emperor Hadrian says Epicaste (daughter of Nestor) and Telemachus (son of Odysseus) were the parents of Homer.The two best known ancient biographies of Homer are the Life of Homer by the Pseudo-Herodotus and the Contest of Homer and Hesiod.In the early fourth century BC Alcidamas composed a fictional account of a poetry contest at Chalcis with both Homer and Hesiod. Homer was expected to win, and answered all of Hesiod's questions and puzzles with ease. Then, each of the poets was invited to recite the best passage from their work. Hesiod selected the beginning of Works and Days: "When the Pleiades born of Atlas ... all in due season". Homer chose a description of Greek warriors in formation, facing the foe, taken from the Iliad. Though the crowd acclaimed Homer victor, the judge awarded Hesiod the prize; the poet who praised husbandry, he said, was greater than the one who told tales of battles and slaughter. History of Homeric scholarship Ancient The study of Homer is one of the oldest topics in scholarship, dating back to antiquity. Nonetheless, the aims of Homeric studies have changed over the course of the millennia. The earliest preserved comments on Homer concern his treatment of the gods, which hostile critics such as the poet Xenophanes of Colophon denounced as immoral. The allegorist Theagenes of Rhegium is said to have defended Homer by arguing that the Homeric poems are allegories. The Iliad and the Odyssey were widely used as school texts in ancient Greek and Hellenistic cultures. They were the first literary works taught to all students. The Iliad, particularly its first few books, was far more intently studied than the Odyssey during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.As a result of the poems' prominence in classical Greek education, extensive commentaries on them developed to explain parts that were culturally or linguistically difficult. During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, many interpreters, especially the Stoics, who believed that Homeric poems conveyed Stoic doctrines, regarded them as allegories, containing hidden wisdom. Perhaps partially because of the Homeric poems' extensive use in education, many authors believed that Homer's original purpose had been to educate. Homer's wisdom became so widely praised that he began to acquire the image of almost a prototypical philosopher. Byzantine scholars such as Eustathius of Thessalonica and John Tzetzes produced commentaries, extensions and scholia to Homer, especially in the twelfth century. Eustathius's commentary on the Iliad alone is massive, sprawling over nearly 4,000 oversized pages in a twenty-first century printed version and his commentary on the Odyssey an additional nearly 2,000. Modern In 1488, the Greek scholar Demetrios Chalkokondyles published the editio princeps of the Homeric poems. The earliest modern Homeric scholars started with the same basic approaches towards the Homeric poems as scholars in antiquity. The allegorical interpretation of the Homeric poems that had been so prevalent in antiquity returned to become the prevailing view of the Renaissance. Renaissance humanists praised Homer as the archetypically wise poet, whose writings contain hidden wisdom, disguised through allegory. In western Europe during the Renaissance, Virgil was more widely read than Homer and Homer was often seen through a Virgilian lens.In 1664, contradicting the widespread praise of Homer as the epitome of wisdom, François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac wrote a scathing attack on the Homeric poems, declaring that they were incoherent, immoral, tasteless,.... Discover the Homer popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Homer books.

Best Seller Homer Books of 2024

  • Divergent synopsis, comments

    Divergent

    Sarah Davids

    Divergent: The Ultimate Quiz Book is part of a unique set of Interactive Quiz eBook Games. They’re not apps and can be played on any ebook reading device. "I don't have a clue how ...

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    Practical Duct Tape Projects

    Authors and Editors of Instructables

    Practical Duct Tape Projects gives you full stepbystep instructions for 21 amazing uses for duct tape.  Learn how to use duct tape to make snowshoes, a wallet, an apron, scrat...

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    Divergent

    Veronica Roth

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    Homer

    Gwen Cooper

    The odds had always been stacked against Homer, the blind kitten nobody wanted. But destiny took a hand the day he met Gwen Cooper, and with the publication twelve years later of t...

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    How To Crochet - A Guide For Newbies

    Sarah Taylor

    Lean to crochet today with this easy stepbystep guide.  This book shows you how to do all of the basic crochet stitches with detailed instructions and illustrations. You ...

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    Simply Flowers, Summer

    Jane Palmer

    Photographs of a selection of Summer flowers including comfrey, roses, yellow corydalis, euphorbia griffithii (Fireglow), water lilies, pansies, kniphofia (red hot poker), hibiscus...

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    Herb Gardening for Beginners

    Robert Donaldson

    Herbs are found in the pantry of most cooks, whether chefs, or novices. Herbs have been used to for thousands of years to improve the flavor of food.It is easy to grow most herbs i...

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    A Day In the Life of Cats

    Stephanie Hart

    Just a collections of photos of cats being cats. The stupid but cute things cats do.

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    Geek Mom

    Authors of Instructables

    Geek Mom is a collection of fun projects for the techsavvy parent.  Whether you're looking for a new way to connect with your precocious progeny or for a project to entertain ...

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    The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

    Marie Kondo

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The book that sparked a revolution and inspired the hit Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo: the original guide to decluttering ...

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    El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha I

    Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

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    How to Raise the Perfect Dog

    Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

    From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel's Dog Whisperer, the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. For the millions of people ever...

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    The Three Sisters

    Aska

    The three sisters Maisie, Beanie and Squashy feel cramped and unhappy living together in their pretty, little house. Each sister comes up with a plan to make the house more comfo...

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    HomePod User Guide

    Apple Inc.

    Here's everything you need to know about HomePod and HomePod mini, straight from Apple. This definitive guide helps you get started with HomePod and use Siri to play music, con...

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    Fat Cat Finds a Home

    Michelle Smith

    After ten years of love from her previous owner, poor Fat Cat finds herself alone and looking for a new home. Will she ever leave the adoption shelter? Even at ten years old, Fat C...

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    Quirk Books D.I.Y. Gift Guide

    Quirk D.I.Y.

    We invite you to D.I.Y. your way through your giftgiving list. We’ve rounded up some of the best crafts and baked goods that Quirk Books has to offer. So if you have special people...

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    Remarkably Bright Creatures

    Shelby Van Pelt

    A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!“Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful examination of how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slig...

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    Adhesive Projects

    Authors of Instructables

    "Adhesive Projects" gives you the complete stepbystep instructions for 48 different projects built around the stickiness of adhesives. Learn to use Loctite to make a bird feeder, r...

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    I Love to Doodle

    Taylor Beres

    One of life's most popular pastimes, doodling, is presented for those who like art, math, and/or computers.  This short book shows the artistry in math and the math in artistr...

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    Iron Man Costumes

    Authors of Instructables

    You may not have his billions of dollars. You may not have his sharp wit or sharper goatee. But you can put together a replica Iron Man suit using these 18 Iron Man costumes. Mark ...

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    All About Dogs

    Oleksandr Kotenko

    Are you getting a new dog? Do you want to know more about training them? This is the book for for you!

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    Seven Great Golf Tips

    Gregor Grund

    Seven Great Golf Tips is a compilation of effective golf tips that will help you to improve your game of golf immediately. You'll learn things like "How to Take Your Game From the ...

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    Spark Joy

    Marie Kondo

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  The star of the hit Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and author of The LifeChanging Magic of Tidying Up help...

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    How To Conquer Clutter And Organize Your Home

    Puja Shah

    Download How To Conquer Clutter And Organize Your Home and start your journey towards an organized home today! Kick your clutter to the curb with this easytofollow guide by clearin...

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    Gardening With Nature

    Roger Wyer

    Most gardeners garden Against Nature. Some advanced gardeners garden With Nature. This book takes a different approach: gardening With Nature. The idea is that, by forming a cocrea...

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    RadioShack Presents 10 Awesome Projects

    Authors of Instructables

    In this ebook, you will find ten great creations spawned from the partnership between RadioShack and Instructables.com. From an electronic stethoscope to a cigar box guitar and a f...

  • Quirk Books Entertains Your Kids synopsis, comments

    Quirk Books Entertains Your Kids

    RAISING QUIRK

    This summer, Raising Quirk’s mission is to keep your kids from ever having to say “I’m bored.” So we’ve rounded up our favorite crafts, recipes, games, and activities from Quirk Bo...

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    Zen Life. 108 Adages of Wisdom

    Master Sheng Yen

    Most of us want to be enlightened, live a meaningful life and be loved by our family and friends. But humans are essentially alone in the world no matter how hard we try to connect...

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    Projects for Kids

    Authors and Editors of Instructables

    21 Projects Guaranteed to Keep Your Kids Occupied This Weekend give you full stepbystep instructions for 21 amazing kids activities that your family will love.  Learn how to e...

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    Incredible Cardboard

    Authors and Editors of Instructables

    Incredible Cardboard gives you full stepbystep instructions for 20 amazing ways to turn old cardboard into beautiful, functional items.  Learn how to make cardboard armor, pro...

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    Gifts From the Heart

    Authors of Instructables

    Nothing says love like a handmade gift.  Gifts from the Heart is a collection of 18 projects sure to woo your Valentine.  From sweet treats to cute and cuddlies, we've go...