{"product_id":"an-iliad-isbn-9780307275394","title":"An Iliad","description":"A bold re-imagining of our civilization’s greatest tale of war, from the acclaimed and bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eSilk\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eAn Iliad\u003c\/i\u003e, Alessandro Baricco re-creates the siege of Troy through the voices of twenty-one Homeric characters, in the narrative idiom of our modern imagination. From the return of Chryseis to the burial of Hector, we see through human eyes and feel with human hearts the unforgettable events first recounted almost three thousand years ago. Imbuing the stuff of legend with a startling new relevancy and humanity, Baricco gives us \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eIliad\u003c\/i\u003e as we have never known it. His transformative achievement is certain to delight and fascinate all readers of Homer’s indispensable classic.“For all those curious about \u003ci\u003eThe Iliad\u003c\/i\u003e but intimidated by its heft, Baricco’s book offers a swift, stylish, summer-reading version of the great epic.” —\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e“A taut and mesmerizing tale.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e“Baricco divides the tale into a series of monologues by characters both major and minor. The result is compelling, occasionally thrilling.” —\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlessandro Baricco \u003c\/b\u003ewas born in Turin in 1958 and still makes his home there. The author of four previous novels, he has won the Prix Médicis Étranger in France and the Selezione Campiello, Viareggio, and Palazzo al Bosco prizes in Italy.Chryseis\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt all began on a day of violence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor nine years the Achaeans had besieged Troy: often they needed   provisions or animals or women, and then they abandoned the siege and   went to get what they wanted by plundering the nearby cities. That   day it was the turn of Thebes, my city. They seized what they wanted   and brought it to their ships.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI was among the women they carried off. I was a beauty: when, in   their camp, the Achaean chieftains divided up the spoils, Agamemnon   saw me and wanted me for himself. He was the king of kings, and the   commander of all the Achaeans: he brought me to his tent, and to his   bed. He had a wife, at home, called Clytemnestra. He loved her. But   that day he saw me and wanted me for himself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSome days afterward my father came to the camp. His name was Chryses,   and he was a priest of Apollo. He was an old man. He brought splendid   gifts and asked the Achaeans, in exchange, to set me free. As I said:   he was an old man and a priest of Apollo. All the Achaean chiefs,   after seeing and listening to him, were in favor of accepting the   ransom and honoring the noble figure who had come to them as a   suppliant. Only one among them was not won over: Agamemnon. He rose   and railed brutally against my father, saying to him, \"Go away, old   man, and don't show yourself again. I will not give up your daughter:   she will grow old in Argos, in my house, far from her homeland,   working at the loom and sharing my bed. Go now, if you want to go   with your life.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy father, frightened, obeyed. He went away in silence and   disappeared along the shore of the sea—you might have said \u003ci\u003einto\u003c\/i\u003e the   sound of the sea. Then, suddenly, death and suffering fell upon the   Achaeans. For nine days, arrows flew, killing men and beasts, and the   pyres of the dead blazed without respite. On the tenth day, Achilles   summoned the army to a meeting. In front of all the men he said, \"If   things continue like this, we'll have to launch our ships and go home   in order to escape death. But let's consult a prophet, or a seer, or   a priest who can tell us what is happening and free us from this   scourge.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen Calchas rose, the most famous among the seers. He knew all the   things that have been, are, and will be. He was a wise man. He said,   \"You want to know the reason for this, Achilles, and I will tell you.   But swear that you will protect me, because what I'm going to say   will offend a man who has power over all the Achaeans and whom all   the Achaeans obey. I'm risking my life: swear that you will protect   me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAchilles told him not to be afraid, but to say what he knew. He said,   \"As long as I live, no one among the Achaeans will dare raise a hand   against you. No one. Not even Agamemnon.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen the seer took courage and said, \"When we offended that old man,   suffering came upon us. Agamemnon refused the ransom and would not   give up the daughter of Chryses: and suffering came upon us. There is   only one way to rid ourselves of it: restore to Chryses that girl   with the sparkling eyes, before it's too late.\" Thus he spoke, and he   sat down.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAgamemnon rose, his heart brimming with black fury and his eyes   flashing fire. He looked at Calchas with hatred and said, \"Prophet of   doom, you have never given me a favorable prophecy. You like to   reveal only evil, never good. And now you want to deprive me of   Chryseis, whom I desire more than my own wife, Clytemnestra, and who   rivals her in beauty, intelligence, and nobility of spirit. Must I   give her up? I will do so, because I want the army to be saved. I   will do it, if so it must be. But find me a prize to replace her   immediately, because it is not right that I alone, among the   Achaeans, should remain without honor. I want another prize for   myself.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen Achilles said, \"How can we find you a prize, Agamemnon? The   spoils have already been divided, and it wouldn't be fitting to start   over again from the beginning. Give back the girl and we'll repay you   three, four times over when we capture Ilium.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAgamemnon shook his head. \"You don't deceive me, Achilles. You want   to keep your prize and leave me with nothing. No, I will give back   that girl and then I'll come and take what I like, and maybe I'll   take something from Ajax, or Odysseus, or maybe I'll take something   from you.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAchilles looked at him with hatred. \"You insolent, greedy man,\" he   said. \"And you expect the Achaeans to follow you into battle? I   didn't come here to fight the Trojans—they haven't done anything to   me. They haven't stolen oxen or horses from me, or destroyed my   harvest: my land is divided from theirs by shadowy mountains and a   roaring sea. I'm here because I followed you, arrogant man, to defend   Menelaus's honor and yours. And you, you bastard, dog face, you   couldn't care less, and threaten to take away the prize I fought for?   No, it's better that I return home rather than stay to be dishonored,   fighting to win treasures and riches for you.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen Agamemnon answered, \"Go if you want, I won't beg you to stay.   Others will gain honor at my side. I don't like you, Achilles: you   love quarrel, strife, war. You're strong, it's true, but that's a   gift. Leave, go home and rule in your own house. You are nothing to   me, and I'm not afraid of your anger. Let me tell you this: I will   send Chryseis back to her father, on my ship, with my men. But then   I'll come to your tent and take for myself the beautiful Briseis,   your prize, so that you'll know who is the stronger, and all men will   learn to fear me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThus he spoke. And it was as if he had struck Achilles a blow to the   heart. And the son of Peleus was about to unsheathe his sword and   certainly would have killed Agamemnon if at the last minute he had   not mastered his fury and stopped his hand on the silver hilt. He   looked at Agamemnon and in a rage said:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You with the face of a dog, the heart of a deer—you coward. I swear   on this scepter that the day will come when the Achaeans, all of   them, will long for me. When they are dropping under Hector's   assaults, they will long for me. And you will suffer for them, but   will be able to do nothing. You will only remember the day you   insulted the best of the Achaeans, and go mad with rage and remorse.   That day will come, Agamemnon. I swear it.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThus he spoke, and hurled the gold-studded scepter to the ground.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the assembly broke up, Agamemnon ordered one of his ships   brought down to the sea, assigned to it twenty men, and put in charge   Odysseus, the wily one. Then he came to me, took me by the hand, and   led me to the ship. \"Beautiful Chryseis,\" he said. And he let me   return to my father and my homeland. He stood there, on the shore,   watching the ship set sail.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen he saw it disappear over the horizon he called two men among his   loyal followers and ordered them to go to the tent of Achilles, to   take Briseis by the hand and lead her away. He said to them, \"If   Achilles refuses to give her up, then tell him that I will come and   get her, and it will be much worse for him.\" The two soldiers were   called Talthybios and Eurybates. They set off reluctantly along the   shore of the sea and finally reached the camp of the Myrmidons. They   found Achilles sitting beside his tent and his black ship. They stood   before him and said nothing, because they were frightened and in awe   of the king. So it was he who spoke.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Come,\" he said. \"You're not at fault in all this—Agamemnon is.   Don't be afraid.\" Then he called Patroclus and told him to fetch   Briseis and hand her over to the two soldiers, so that they could   lead her away. \"You are my witnesses,\" he said, looking at them.   \"Agamemnon is foolish. He doesn't think about what will happen, he   doesn't think about when he might need me to defend the Achaeans and   their ships. To him nothing matters in the past or the future. You   are my witnesses, that man is a fool.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe men set off, retracing their path beside the swift ships of the   Achaeans, drawn up on the beach. Behind them walked beautiful   Briseis. Sadly she went—and reluctant.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAchilles watched them go. And then he went and sat alone on the shore   of the white-foaming sea, and burst into tears, with the infinite   ocean before him. He was the lord of the war and the terror of every   Trojan. But he burst into tears and like a child began calling his   mother. From far away she came, then, and appeared to him. She sat   beside him and stroked him gently. Softly, she called him by name.   \"My son, why did I bring you into the world, I, your unhappy mother?   Your life will be short enough. If only you could spend it without   tears and without sorrow.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAchilles asked, \"Can you save me, Mother? Can you do it?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut his mother said only, \"Listen to me: stay here, near the ships,   and don't go into battle. Hold on to your anger against the Achaeans   and don't yield to your desire for war. I tell you: one day they will   offer you shining gifts, and they'll give you three times as many,   for the insult you received.\" Then she disappeared, and Achilles sat   there, alone. His soul was filled with rage for the injustice he had   suffered, and his heart was consumed by yearning for the cry of   battle and the tumult of war.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI saw my city again when the ship, commanded by Odysseus, entered the   harbor. The sails were lowered, the ship approached the mooring under   oars. The crew threw the anchors over and tied the stern ropes. First   they unloaded the animals for sacrifice to Apollo. Then Odysseus took   me by the hand and led me to land. He guided me to the altar of   Apollo, where my father was waiting for me. He let me go, and my   father took me in his arms, overcome with joy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOdysseus and his men spent the night beside their ship. At dawn they   raised the sails to the wind and departed. I saw the ship speed   lightly as the waves foamed around the prow. I saw it disappear over   the horizon.\u003ci\u003e Can you imagine what my life was then? Every so often I   dream of dust, weapons, riches, and young heroes. It is always the   same place, on the shore of the sea. There is the smell of blood and   of men. I live there, and the king of kings throws to the winds his   life and his people, for me: for my beauty and my charms. When I wake   there is my father at my side. He caresses me and says, It's over, my   daughter. It's all over.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThersites\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey all knew me. I was the ugliest man who went to the siege of   Troy: bowlegged, lame, shoulders humped and curving in over my chest;   a pointed head covered by a scraggly fuzz. I was famous because I   liked to insult the kings, all the kings: the Achaeans listened to me   and laughed. And so the kings of the Achaeans hated me. \u003ci\u003eI want to   tell you what I know, so that you, too, will understand what I   understood: war is an obsession of old men, who send the young to   fight.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAgamemnon was in his tent and he was sleeping. Suddenly he seemed to   hear the voice of Nestor, who was the oldest of us all, our most   beloved and respected sage. The voice said, \"Agamemnon, son of   Atreus, here you are sleeping, you who command an entire army and   should have so many things to do.\" Agamemnon didn't open his eyes. He   thought he was dreaming. Then the voice drew closer and said, \"Listen   to me, I have a message for you from Zeus, who is watching you from   far away, and feels sorrow and pity for you. He orders you to arm the   Achaeans at once, because today you will be able to take Troy by   force. The gods, all of them, will be on your side, and your enemies   will be doomed. Don't forget this when sweet sleep abandons you, and   you wake. Don't forget this message from Zeus.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen the voice vanished. Agamemnon opened his eyes. \u003ci\u003eHe didn't see the   old man Nestor, who slipped silently out of the tent.\u003c\/i\u003e He thought he   had been dreaming, and that in his dream he had seen himself the   victor. Then he rose and put on a new tunic, beautiful and soft, and   over it a sweeping cloak. He put on his best sandals, and over his   shoulder slung the silver-studded sword. Finally he seized the   scepter of his fathers and, holding it tight in his fist, set out for   the ships of the Achaeans, while Aurora announced the light of day to   Zeus and all the immortals. He ordered the heralds, with their clear   voices, to call the Achaeans to an assembly, and when they had all   gathered he summoned first the noble princes of the council. He told   them his dream. Then he said, \"Today we'll arm the Achaeans and   attack. But first I want to test the army, as is my right. I'll tell   the soldiers that I have decided to give up the war and return home.   You will try to persuade them to stay and continue the fight. I want   to see what happens.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe noble princes were silent, uncertain what to think. Then Nestor   the old man rose, Nestor himself, and he said, \"Friends, leaders and   rulers of the Achaeans, if any one of us should recount such a dream,   we wouldn't listen to that man, thinking that he was lying. But he   who dreamed it claims to be the best among the Achaeans. Therefore I   say: let us go and arm our men.\" Then he rose and left the council.   The others saw him going, and, as if following their shepherd, they   all rose, in turn, and went to assemble their men.","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303990284517,"sku":"NP9780307275394","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780307275394.jpg?v=1767721511","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/an-iliad-isbn-9780307275394","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}