VWC welcomes Stanley Lombardo, renowned scholar and translator of Homer’s the Iliad and the Odyssey, on March 8 at 6:30 p.m.
By Staff | March 6, 2012
Homer's epics the Iliad andthe Odyssey stand as unique monuments to the genius of the ancient Greeks. Yet their tales are as compelling and relevant in the modern era as they were when they came into being in the eighth or seventh century B.C. On Thursday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m., Virginia Wesleyan College welcomes world-renowned Classics scholar and translator Stanley Lombardo, who will perform and discuss parts of Homer’s poems in Blocker Auditorium.
A professor of Classics at the University of Kansas, Stanley Lombardo is best known for his translations of Homer’s the Iliad and the Odyssey. Lombardo’s versions of these texts embrace a fresh, conversational style focused on the dynamic storytelling traditions out of which they were born.
“Lombardo has received accolades from some of his most distinguished peers in the field for crafting translations that are accurate, immediate and gripping,” says Ben Haller, Assistant Professor of Classics at Virginia Wesleyan.
Critically acclaimed for his live performances and recorded audio versions of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, Lombardo’s presentation at VWC will emphasize the spoken word aspect and performance of Homeric poems as well as his role as a translator.
The Iliad recounts siege of Troy by the Greeks, an epic battle in which men and gods are tested in the midst of tragedy and triumph. The Odyssey features the Greek hero Odysseus and the wonders and travails of his 10-year journey to Ithaca following the end of the Trojan War.
“The twenty-four book behemoths known to us as the Iliad and Odyssey are utterly unique,” Ben Haller explains. “They address the perennial concerns that make us human: the fairy-tale like perseverance of the love of a husband and a wife against all odds, the irremediable grief experienced by a soldier at the death of a comrade in arms, what motivates a man to stand his ground in a battle which he knows from the outset he will die fighting.”
Stanley Lombardo is presented by the Department of Classics at Virginia Wesleyan College and the Classics Club. For more information, please contact Benjamin Haller at bhaller@vwu.edu or 757-233-8811.