The Mourner's Song : War and Remembrance from the Iliad to Vietnam

Rating:
Summary: a new perspective on the Iliad -- a must read
Review: For anyone who loves the Iliad or aspires to immerse himself in great literature, this new book by classicist James Tatum is inspiring. This is the first of his books to leave classic Greece and Rome (and its corresponding literature) to explore classical themes right up through the present with an emphasis on Vietnam. His writing is crystal clear and his range and knowledge of modern and ancient poetry and literature shines through on every page. Therefore, the alert reader will learn much more than how relevant the Iliad is throughout the ages as a book of force, war and remembrance -- namely how a poem like the Iliad can illuminate all modern conflicts and how we memorialize these conflicts as well. I particularly enjoyed the introductory chapter that discussed the differences in various translations (Fagles, Lattimore and older versions like Alexander Pope's) explaining the subtleties of each. Rather than quoting from only one, he carefully alternates throughout the book to give each translator a chance to stand out in his own particular speciality. It was a pleasant surprise to be reminded of Pope's linguistically intricate translation that still stands as a modern masterpiece.

In short, any lover of the classics should savor this book since The Iliad has been Tatum's focus for many years as an Ivy league professor. You can't do any better unless you travel to Dartmouth and sit it on his ever popular and chronically oversubscribed classes.

Rating:
Summary: Well, maybe.
Review: This is a solid book and worth reading if you are interested in the Iliad and/or the relationships between war and culture, but in all deference to Ms. Hernandez, Prof. Tatum's classes were hardly oversubscribed and he is much better known for his work on Plautus and Roman comedy. Which is not to detract from the quality of this particular volume at all.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant.
Review: What a wonderful "reading" of the Vietnam war memorial in Washington, D.C. Tatum's book will make you see -- better, EXPERIENCE such memorials anew. Breathtaking in its scope and brilliance! A must read; indeed, in this age, a true necessity. Tatum should be thanked for his courage and generosity.