Updating the Classics

April 5, 2012
Tim Smith

Five Books Interviews is a blog (part of a larger site called The Browser) which is a source of consistently great ideas for More Stuff to Read. Here’s the description of what this site is all about: “Each day our editors interview a renowned authority who discusses his or her area of expertise and provides their choice of the best five books to read. Ever wondered what the experts read? FiveBooks has the answers.”

Just this week author, critic, and translator Daniel Mendelsohn wrote an essay on Updating the Classics. The books he covers include:

• The Iliad, by Homer (translated by Stephen Mitchell)
• Ransom, by David Malouf
• The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
• The Lost Books of the Odyssey, by Zachary Mason
• The Infinities, by John Banville

The links above go to the ALICE records for these books.

When you visit the Five Books Interviews site, note in the right sidebar that there are a number of other articles relating to Classics, on topics such as “Religious and Social History in the Ancient World,” “Ancient History in Modern Life” and others.

Happy reading!