Letters and the lapse of time
A moving comment on the effects of time and separation, and the hiatus of news caused by war. Firstly, the...
Captain Grekov’s eyes
This is a memorable description of Captain Grekov, commander of House 6/1 in the rubble of Stalingrad, summing up so...
Wood and war
I liked these two woody similes for war and death, the first to convey the din and crash of battle,...
Beware the Idomeneus spear
Famed with good reason - see his bringing another warrior to meet his 'dark-named destiny'. However, the most graphic...
Stunt-hoop tambourines
The timbre and beat of martial music as the Greek states gather behind Agamemnon for an almighty war.
‘Immediately
...
Voice communications
Consider the vital role of the herald before mechanical forms of broadcast, and how important the quality and strength of...
Shields like clinkered hulls
A marvelous description of the helots’ tightly held, flexible and impregnable shield wall, like the scales of a fish, or...
War as weaving
This is the first time I have heard of the gods weaving human fate on a loom; echoes of Penelope, but...
That’s no way to speak to God
Here we have Helen’s cuckolded husband Menalaus screaming at God in the most colourful terms. I like the idea of...
Pah to the Iliad
Tom dismisses one of the world's greatest epics, a 3,000 year old classic of war, on the grounds that its...
Battle wounds and war glory
One of the many striking things about the Iliad is its capacity to convey the warrior’s glory without shying away...
Nestor berates the Greeks
Old Nestor has a few choice words to say to his fellow Greeks for their unwillingness to take on the...
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