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Barbarius Locked account

Barbarius@outside.ofa.dog

Joined 1 year, 9 months ago

Mostly reading sci-fi, fantasy, and comics/graphic novels, but occasionally some other stuff too.

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commented on The Iliad by Homer

The Iliad (EBook, Standard Ebooks) 2 stars

The Iliad is one of the oldest works of Western literature, dating back to classical …

I feel like large sections of this could be replaced with "there was a large battle that resulted in this" and nothing would be lost.

Honestly, the sheer number of characters who get named, and have detailed backstories explained, for the sole purpose of immediately dying is, frankly, tiring.

"So princely Agripholus was the son of Argontus, and he was raised in the fertile lands of Haetus, known for their wooly sheep and swift-footed boys, with a score of donkeys and five score of steeds. And his shining armour reflected brightly, and the silver clasps were gifts from noble Pontiphus, who claimed them from the battle of Tiphus. Anyway, he's dead. Agamemnon speared him above the left nipple." Repeat ad nauseum.

started reading The Iliad by Homer

The Iliad (EBook, Standard Ebooks) 2 stars

The Iliad is one of the oldest works of Western literature, dating back to classical …

I'm reading this for two reasons: 1. I've been playing a lot of Hades recently, which has a lot of Greek characters in it (e.g., Achilles and Patroclus). 2. Christopher Nolan's next project is The Odyssey. So I want to read that, and I don't want to read it before reading this.

However, I'm already immediately disappointed that in this translation all the names of Greek gods are "translated to English" (according to Bryant); so we have Jupiter instead of Zeus, etc.

The Sunbird (Paperback, University of Queensland Press) 5 stars

Nabila Yasmeen is in her eighties. She lives alone with over a hundred plants that …

Beautiful

5 stars

This was a really beautiful read. It's very short, written intentionally to be read in one sitting. It tells the story of an elderly lady presently in Australia 2023, and when she was five and being removed from her village in Palestine in 1948. And the parallels of what has and hasn't changed in 75 years. Very poignant. Almost poetic. Definitely essential reading to help understand our current times.