The shape of things to come
Leigh Fermor's walk across Europe in the early 1930s captures many things that would be swept away in the following...
Voice communications
Consider the vital role of the herald before mechanical forms of broadcast, and how important the quality and strength of...
No post and plenty of censorship
We don't know how lucky we are, having access to many forms of communication, electronic or postal, and being free...
War as weaving
This is the first time I have heard of the gods weaving human fate on a loom; echoes of Penelope, but...
Of time and mind
A beautiful story about a Jewish school teacher in a town subjected to Nazi massacre. Rosenthal defends his right to...
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...
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...
Dogs of war
How clever these creatures, able to distinguish between the sound of planes that unleash havoc and so should be hidden...
A tongue twister triologism
I liked this punchy, tongue-twisting image of remote and mountainous Macedon.
‘He will get home. That is to say,...
Beware the Idomeneus spear
Famed with good reason - see his bringing another warrior to meet his 'dark-named destiny'. However, the most graphic...
The mule and the mare
Listening time: under 3 minutes
Grossman writes with great empathy of animals and their experiences. Here an...
Dark-named destiny
Another term for death, the fate of Asios who, horse-proud, insisted on driving his chariot into the fray where he...
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