Composed in the third century A.D., the Trojan Epic is the earliest surviving literary evidence for many of the traditions of the Trojan War passed down from ancient Greece. Also known as the Posthomerica, or sequel to Homer, the Trojan Epic chronicles the course of the war after the burial of Troys greatest hero, Hektor. Quintus, believed to have been an educated Greek living in Roman Asia Minor, included some of the wars most legendary events: the death of Achilles, the Trojan Horse, and the destruction of Troy. But because Quintus deliberately imitated Homers language and style, his work has been dismissed by many scholars as pastiche. A vivid and entertaining story in its own right, the Trojan Epic is also particularly significant for what it reveals about its sources the much older, now lost Greek epics about the Trojan War known collectively as the Epic Cycle. Written in the Homeric era, these poems recounted events not included in the Iliad or the Odyssey. As Alan James makes clear in this vibrant and faithful new translation, Quintuss work deserves attention for its literary-historical importance and its narrative power. Jamess line-by-line verse translation in English reveals the original as an exciting and eloquent tale of gods and heroes, bravery and cunning, hubris and brutality. James includes a substantial introduction which places the work in its literary and historical context, a detailed and annotated book-by-book summary of the epic, a commentary dealing mainly with sources, and an explanatory index of proper names. Brilliantly revitalized by James, the Trojan Epic will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in Greek mythology and the legend of Troy.ReviewsProvides a vivid retelling of events associated with the Trojan War subsequent to those outlined in the Iliad, but before those of the Odyssey a very attractive way of learning about a wide range of the details associated with this most famous of all mythological legends. Dr. James is one of half a dozen of the most accomplished scholars of late Greek poetry in the world. It is especially gratifying to discover that his skill as a translator matches that of his skill as a scholar. Peter Toohey, University of Calgary, AlbertaJamess accessible, lively rendition of Quintuss poem deserves to alter the face of ancient epic studies . . . He fuses a flexible and nuanced form of the ancient hexameter rhythm with contemporary idiom. His Posthomerica includes a superb introduction, lucid commentary, bibliography, index of the occurrence of proper names, and summaries of the action of each Book . . . A landmark publication.Edith Hall, Times Literary SupplementAmazingly, the first full-scale introduction to Quintus and his poem in English. Martijn Cuypers, Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewThis third-century CE poem which deals with the events surrounding Homers Iliad and Odyssey has been unfairly neglected and even denigrated by scholars more familiar with the Homeric epics. James attempts to rectify this situation in this comprehensive book. -Choice
