Homer’s work is contemporary
'One of the things that I really like about Homer’s works is that they are both very contemporary and also very different. They come from a different time, which had different values and different way of looking at the world.
But at the same time, the characters as they are portrayed in Homer, are characters that can relate to today as well. We have to face with all of the struggles dealing with other people working in a community, working together as a group and dealing with their egos. These same things that are depicting beautifully in Homer.
One of my favorite definitions of myth is this: things which never happened but which are always true. Homer really exemplifies that in capturing those truths about human nature and humans society.'
Festival of Homer at the Hellenic Museum Melbourne. Source: Supplied
Studying Homer in ancient Greek and in English
I think one of the things that really come across is that there are a lot of words in ancient Greek which don't necessarily match exactly with words in English. Words in ancient Greek have a broader concept and won't be captured by a single English word.
Or ways of looking at things wherein the language will refer to a kind of the more of a general vibe about a topic rather than that something which is very specific. So when someone reads the Homeric works in ancient Greek, it's a whole different experience.
The controversial topics at this year’s festival
'These topics come from a place that’s loving Homer and Greek culture. When we look at Achilles, so we are not looking to degrade Achilles in any way. What we are really looking to do is to explore the character that Homer created, a character made wonderfully made by Homer who was able to create very complex three-dimensional characters that aren't simply black and white.
They are characters that have internal conflict, that have flaws, and sometimes they go too far. And really when we are looking at the debate, whether Achilles was a hero or just a very naughty boy, is the way of exploring the depth of that character and its complexities.
What I hope is that people have a so a greater appreciation of Homer, that have an appreciation of ancient Greek culture, that we can share some of the passion, that we, that we are organising the festival, can share some of that passion with the community and get people as excited as we are.'
Greek island of Ithaca. Source: Wikimedia
About Dr. Christopher Gribbin
Dr. Christopher Gribbin has taught at Melbourne, Monash, and La Trobe universities and is an honorary fellow at the University of Melbourne. He founded the University of Melbourne’s Classics Summer School in 2002 and ran it for 15 years.
Christopher has been fascinated by the ancient world since the age of four when he saw an exhibition of objects from Pompeii. That led (sometime later) to a Ph.D. in Classics, looking at the interaction between religion and philosophy in the sixth century BC Greece.
Christopher has a particular interest in understanding how people make sense of the world, whether through religion, philosophy, story-telling, art or architecture. He has lectured in Classics at Melbourne, Monash, and La Trobe universities and was an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s School of Historical and Philosophical Studies since 2004.
