Yasin

A little note before you read

First, I want to say that before reading the Iliad it really helps to know a good amount of Greek myths, old stories, and characters. Homer assumes his audience already knows the gods, heroes, and background of the Trojan War. But for a modern reader, this might not be so obvious. So I recommend first doing a quick review of the main causes of the war: who Paris, Helen, Menelaus, Achilles, and Agamemnon were, and how their stories connect. It's also helpful to know the myths about Achilles' birth, the first years of the war, and the famous episode where the goddesses appeared to Paris. There are plenty of videos and summaries on YouTube that explain these stories.

Also, the treatment of women in the Iliad can be difficult to read today. Remember that this poem was composed in a very different time. We don't read it to approve of those attitudes, but to understand Homer's world and see how deeply it influenced Western literature and culture.

Another thing: even the best translation can't always capture the weight of Homer's Greek. Paying attention to certain words helps a lot. In Book 1, I noticed four that really matter:

Μῆνις (Mēnis) - wrath

Τιμή (Timē) - honor

Γέρας (Geras) - prize

Κλέος (Kleos) - glory or fame

Understanding what these meant for the warriors gives the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles much more depth. At first, their fight feels petty, almost childish. But once you think about it in terms of timē and kleos, it makes sense why Achilles reacts so strongly.

It's one of the worst books I've ever read. While I appreciate the idea behind it, the writing is frustrating and makes the story difficult to follow. The characters and their motivations feel poorly developed, and I simply can't connect with the author's style.

“I experienced pleasure like a future pain.”

Ernaux's Simple Passion is an honest, unflinching depiction of desire. She captures the intensity of the moment, revealing passion as a double-edged thrill: a present joy, a future pain. Yet, she still wants to embrace the world, to experience pleasure without restraint.

“When I was a child, luxury was fur coats, evening dresses, and villas by the sea. Later on, I thought it meant leading the life of an intellectual. Now I feel that it is also being able to live out a passion for a man or a woman.”

She may look fairly normal, but she was not.

Don't read the reviews before reading the story!