Omeros
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4.2 • 6 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A Masterpiece of Modern Epic Poetry
Dive into the poignant verses of Omeros, a grand opus of epic poetry penned by Nobel laureate Derek Walcott. Told in multiple chapters and tracing two currents of history, this work offers an immersive blend of historic account and personal sentiment.
Titled with the Greek name for Homer, Omeros elegantly traverses the surface and depths of history. While wrapping you in the intricacies of Caribbean literature and Latin American poetry, the verses of Omeros take you on an emotional journey through Saint Lucian landscapes.
Celebrate the spirit of this significant contribution to Caribbean poetry and St. Lucian literature while unraveling the complex themes of 20th-century poetry, including slavery, Native American history, and more.
“One of the great poems of our time.” —John Lucas, New Statesman
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This magnificent modern epic by poet-playwright Walcott ( The Arkansas Testament ) follows the wanderings of a present-day Odysseus and the inconsolable sufferings of those who are displaced and traveling with trepidation toward their homes. Written in seven circling books and magically fluid tercets, the poem illuminates the classical past and its motifs through an extraordinary cast of contemporary characters from the island of Santa Lucia: humble fishermen Achilles, Philoctete and Hector; a feverishly beautiful house servant, Helen, who incites her own Trojan War; a local seer, Seven Seas; and the narrator himself, who wanders to the States, to Europe and back again although he knows, ``the nearer home, the deeper our fears increase, / that no house might come to meet us on our own shore.'' Singularly ambitious, and as moving as the works of its namesake, Omeros (Greek for ``Homer'') remains accessible despite its complexity and divergent strains, which include the privations of Native Americans, African natives and exiled English colonials.
Customer Reviews
The best
This is my favorite Walcott and Walcott is my favorite living writer, which I suppose makes this my favorite living book. This taught me how to read and write. It’s my Divine Comedy and the one book I would want to take with me beyond the grave. How’s that for hyperbolic endorsement?