
Homer-Haunted
The Many Afterlives of an Ancient Poet
Henry Power(Author)
Bloomsbury Continuum (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 16. July 2026
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-3994-2815-6 (ISBN)
Description
'It's rich and beautiful and strange' Rory Stewart, The Rest Is Politics
'This is such a brilliantly told story of Homer-obsessives through the ages that, by the end, you're as hooked on Homer as they were' Frank Skinner
'Every page is an illuminating joy' A. N. Wilson
'An endlessly generous book' Daisy Hay
This is the story of how two ancient epics captured the world's imagination.
The siege of Troy and Odysseus' long voyage home have inspired many of our most thrilling and radical poets. Henry Power takes us on a surprising journey through the afterlives of these mysterious epics, and the search for the poet who created them.
Guiding us through the twists and turns of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Power travels to the places where Homer's stories have taken root - from the islands of Greece to the Scottish Highlands, the Devon coast to suburban Los Angeles - to trace the footsteps of the poets, politicians, lunatics, and lovers haunted by Homer's mythical heroes and monsters.
A dazzlingly original and deeply personal testament to the power of poetry, Homer-Haunted is an epic account of how our oldest stories have shaped the way we read, write, and think.
'This is such a brilliantly told story of Homer-obsessives through the ages that, by the end, you're as hooked on Homer as they were' Frank Skinner
'Every page is an illuminating joy' A. N. Wilson
'An endlessly generous book' Daisy Hay
This is the story of how two ancient epics captured the world's imagination.
The siege of Troy and Odysseus' long voyage home have inspired many of our most thrilling and radical poets. Henry Power takes us on a surprising journey through the afterlives of these mysterious epics, and the search for the poet who created them.
Guiding us through the twists and turns of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Power travels to the places where Homer's stories have taken root - from the islands of Greece to the Scottish Highlands, the Devon coast to suburban Los Angeles - to trace the footsteps of the poets, politicians, lunatics, and lovers haunted by Homer's mythical heroes and monsters.
A dazzlingly original and deeply personal testament to the power of poetry, Homer-Haunted is an epic account of how our oldest stories have shaped the way we read, write, and think.
Reviews / Votes
This rich embroidery of the British poetic story, from Chapman's Homer to contemporary writers, is a wonder of imaginative scholarship. The reader feels as excited as Keats, 'silent upon a peak of Darien'. We learn much about the British cultural tradition, but also about the immortal genius of Homer himself. Every page is an illuminating joy. -- A. N. Wilson This is such a brilliantly told story of Homer-obsessives through the ages that, by the end, you're as hooked on Homer as they were. -- Frank Skinner It's rich and beautiful and strange. -- Rory Stewart, The Rest Is Politics I am bowled over by this book, by its range and erudition, its enormous capacity for empathy with a stadium-full of different minds and times and individualities. It is a triumph of understanding and wit, the very best of what criticism and biography and sheer reading can do. It is also written with a deeply receptive frame of mind, constantly championing the neglected and disparaged. To read it is to be enriched. -- Adam Nicolson Full of wit, wisdom and wonder, in this beautifully illustrated book Henry Power brings Homer's stories, their cultural impact and continuing relevance to our society, vividly to life. -- Lachlan Goudie Homer-Haunted is an endlessly generous book, written with a wonderful lightness of touch. Pope, Keats, Thom Gunn, returning World War II soldiers, Alice Oswald and many more meet in its pages through encounters with Homer that open up worlds of poetry and history as they unfold. The result is a joy for all those that love Homer, and a revelation for all those new to these glorious poems. -- Daisy HayMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Illustrations
14 black and white integrated illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
560 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3994-2815-6 (9781399428156)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
approx. 07/2026
Bloomsbury Continuum
€21.49
Available for download

E-Book
approx. 07/2026
Bloomsbury Continuum
€21.49
Available for download
Person
Henry Power studied Classics and English at Oxford and then took his PhD at Cambridge. He is now Professor of English Literature at the University of Exeter. He has published widely and his most recent book is an edition of Alexander Pope's Major Works for Oxford University Press. He is also a regular contributor to publications such as the Times Literary Supplement, Evening Standard and Literary Review, and has appeared as a guest on In Our Time on BBC Radio 4.
Content
Note on the Text
Introduction
1. Rebirth: George Chapman
2. Mosaic: Alexander Pope
3. Fragments: Ossian and James Macpherson
4. Discovery: John Keats
5. Fathers and Sons: Matthew Arnold
6. Small Things: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
7. Exile: H.D. (and Ezra Pound)
8. Theft by Finding: Christopher Logue
9. Pleasure-Seeking: Thom Gunn
10. Music: David Melnick
11. Empire: Derek Walcott
12. The Glorious Deeds of Men: Alice Oswald, Sasha Dugdale and A. E. Stallings
Afterword: Homer's Octopus
Glossary of Homeric Names
Acknowledgements
Extract Permissions
Further Reading and References
Index
Introduction
1. Rebirth: George Chapman
2. Mosaic: Alexander Pope
3. Fragments: Ossian and James Macpherson
4. Discovery: John Keats
5. Fathers and Sons: Matthew Arnold
6. Small Things: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
7. Exile: H.D. (and Ezra Pound)
8. Theft by Finding: Christopher Logue
9. Pleasure-Seeking: Thom Gunn
10. Music: David Melnick
11. Empire: Derek Walcott
12. The Glorious Deeds of Men: Alice Oswald, Sasha Dugdale and A. E. Stallings
Afterword: Homer's Octopus
Glossary of Homeric Names
Acknowledgements
Extract Permissions
Further Reading and References
Index