Homer-Haunted

Discover the epics behind the new ‘Odyssey’ film

Henry Power (Author) , Henry Power (Narrator)

Homer-Haunted

Discover the epics behind the new ‘Odyssey’ film

Henry Power (Author) , Henry Power (Narrator)

Hardback ~~$42.00~~ $37.80 Ebook (Epub & Mobi) ~~$29.40~~ $20.58 Ebook (PDF) ~~$29.40~~ $20.58 Audiobook $22.00

Quantity

In stock

$22.00

Add to basket

Add to wishlist

Listen anytime on our Bloomsbury Audiobook App

Description

Bloomsbury presents Homer-Haunted: The Many Afterlives of an Ancient Poet, written and read by Henry Power

'It's rich and beautiful and strange' Rory Stewart, The Rest Is Politics

'This is such a brilliantly told story of Homer-obsessives through the ages that, by the end, you're as hooked on Homer as they were' Frank Skinner

'Every page is an illuminating joy' A. N. Wilson

'An endlessly generous book' Daisy Hay

This is the story of how two ancient epics captured the world's imagination.

The siege of Troy and Odysseus' long voyage home have inspired many of our most thrilling and radical poets. Henry Power takes us on a surprising journey through the afterlives of these mysterious epics, and the search for the poet who created them.

Guiding us through the twists and turns of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Power travels to the places where Homer's stories have taken root – from the islands of Greece to the Scottish Highlands, the Devon coast to suburban Los Angeles – to trace the footsteps of the poets, politicians, lunatics, and lovers haunted by Homer's mythical heroes and monsters.

A dazzlingly original and deeply personal testament to the power of poetry, Homer-Haunted is an epic account of how our oldest stories have shaped the way we read, write, and think.

Note on the Text
Introduction

1. Rebirth: George Chapman
2. Mosaic: Alexander Pope
3. Fragments: Ossian and James Macpherson
4. Discovery: John Keats
5. Fathers and Sons: Matthew Arnold
6. Small Things: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
7. Exile: H.D. (and Ezra Pound)
8. Theft by Finding: Christopher Logue
9. Pleasure-Seeking: Thom Gunn
10. Music: David Melnick
11. Empire: Derek Walcott
12. The Glorious Deeds of Men: Alice Oswald, Sasha Dugdale and A. E. Stallings

Afterword: Homer's Octopus
Glossary of Homeric Names
Acknowledgements
Extract Permissions
Further Reading and References
Index

Product details

Published	Jul 16 2026
Format	Audiobook
Duration	10 hours and 33 minutes
ISBN	9781399428200
Imprint	Bloomsbury Continuum
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Henry Power

Henry Power studied Classics and English at Oxford…

Narrator

Henry Power

Henry Power studied Classics and English at Oxford…

engaging and witty [...] Power is a highly sensitive and winningly inquisitive reader. He has lucidly synthesised masses of texts and has shown that we can never lay Homer's ghost to rest.

The Spectator
engaging, at times funny, occasionally moving and always readable…as Power shows, Homer appeals to the spirit of every age… Power is an entertaining companion… Homer-Haunted shows brilliantly why Homer has lasted for 3,000 years and why The Iliad and The Odyssey will last for 3,000 years more.

The Times
absorbing... Like The Iliad and Odyssey, Homer-Haunted is a treasure chest of a book.

Literary Review
This rich embroidery of the British poetic story, from Chapman's Homer to contemporary writers, is a wonder of imaginative scholarship. The reader feels as excited as Keats, 'silent upon a peak of Darien'. We learn much about the British cultural tradition, but also about the immortal genius of Homer himself. Every page is an illuminating joy.

A. N. Wilson
This is such a brilliantly told story of Homer-obsessives through the ages that, by the end, you're as hooked on Homer as they were.

Frank Skinner
It's rich and beautiful and strange.

Rory Stewart, The Rest Is Politics