Emily Katz Anhalt

When I read the Greek myths years back (the Robert Graves versions) I looked upon them as tales of heroes, heroines and heroics. I did not read any lessons into the telling of these old myths.

We do live in troubled times, and I find that this retelling by Emily Katz Anhalt is extremely relevant to our modern age. There is a lot of anger these days, and this puts us in the danger of being on the edge of deep trouble.

The manner in which she has systematically chosen the tales, the retelling and the lessons she brings forth thereof, are very relevant to today's times.

The final chapter, before the conclusion, about the abuse of power is especially relevant, as is the concluding section where she draws out how the Greeks modified the rules of their society over time, to make it more democratic.

I also like how she highlights the moral ambiguity in the myths, something that the old authors did not shy away from.

Can we draw lessons from this, to ensure we live in a more peaceful age? Or, are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?… (meer)

Oh, I liked this book. There's a lot to unpack, though. On one level, I really enjoyed the close readings of three of my favourite works - The Iliad, Ajax, and Hecuba - which have given me a new perspective, or rather, have articulated things that are on second thought quite obvious. The author painstakingly draws out from these ancient texts a very useful commentary on the destructive power of rage, and shows that the original authors were not glorifying this violence, but showing their audience the toxic nature of those responses. One point I found particularly fascinating was the difference between 'good' and 'bad' fame - "Greek has two words that can be translated as “glory”: kudos, the glory that the gods bestow, and kleos, the glory that human beings confer (i.e., the glory that epic poetry celebrates and commemorates)." Pursuing the first, that is, striving for glory for its own sake without caring for the impact on others, can strip a person of their essential humanity. I'll be reading this one again, when I've had some time to consider its messages.… (meer)