Robin Lane Fox

Ancient historian Professor Robin Lane Fox draws on his lifetime love of Homer’s Iliad to address the great questions about where, how and when the epic poem was composed and why it has such enduring power.

The Iliad is set in Troy and it is about the anger of Achilles and its dreadful consequences for the warring Greeks and Trojans. It was written more than 2,600 years ago but its tales of loss, battle, love and revenge still move us today. Lane Fox combines his expertise as a historian with a sensitivity to the poetry to argue for a place, date and method for its composition. And he says that the work is pervaded by a poignant hardness that is not just a poetic trick but a deeply held view of the world.

‘He knows the poem in enviable detail and has a lover’s eye both for the poem’s sublime beauty and for anything out of place . . . his confidence and deep learning can be thrilling . . . Homer and His Iliad is rich, imaginative, perceptive and gorgeously written.’ Tim Whitmarsh, Literary Review

Lane Fox taught ancient history at the University of Oxford for nearly 40 years. His other books include Pagans and Christians and Alexander the Great. He has also been writing a gardening column for FT Weekend for more than 50 years.

Note: the venue and time of this event has changed from that originally billed on the website and in the pocket guide.