An Iliad: A Modern Retelling of Homer's Epic - Paperback

by Lisa Peterson (Author), Denis O'Hare (Author)

"Spellbinding . . . Smartly conceived and impressively executed, An Iliad relates an age-old story that resonates with tragic meaning today." -New York Times

Masterfully adapted by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare from Robert Fagles's acclaimed translation, An Iliad telescopes Homer's Trojan War epic into a gripping monologue delivered by The Poet, which captures both the heroism and horror of war.

Crafted around the stories of Achilles and Hector, in language that is by turns poetic and conversational, An Iliad brilliantly refreshes this world classic.

What emerges is a powerful piece of theatrical storytelling that vividly drives home the timelessness of humankind's compulsion toward violence.

Winner, Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards

"Mr. O'Hare and Ms. Peterson have condensed the long sweep of The Iliad s narrative . . . with intelligence . . . chatty, informal, occasionally spiced by digressions that, echoing Homer's brilliant use of simile, seek humble parallels in contemporary life to the passions that inflamed the Greeks and Trojans." -Ben Brantley, New York Times

"The language sears impossible-to-stage tableaux of death and destruction on your mind's eye." -Time Out New York

"[A] sleek distillation of Homer's epic . . . An Iliad supports classicists' claim-often dismissed today- that canonical works can still speak to us profoundly." -Variety

Author Biography

Lisa Peterson is a nationally renowned director who works in NYC and regional theatres around the country. She was for ten years Resident Director at the Mark Taper Forum. She won an Obie Award for her direction of Caryl Churchill s" Light Shining in Buckinghamshire "at New York Theatre Workshop.
Denis O Hare is a writer and Tony Award-winning actor who has performed on Broadway and off-Broadway as well as in numerous regional productions and in film and television. His TV work includes roles on HBO s "True Blood" and FX s "American Horror Story.""