LEADER
Mark Cwik is a longtime seminar leader at Classical Pursuits who has organized and led great books seminars for adult readers for over three decades. He specializes in literature from the ancient, mythic and religious world, with a special interest in epic poems. His most recent seminars include Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Vergil’s Aeneid, Milton’s Paradise Lost, the Icelandic sagas, and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
BOOK
The liad, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
WW Norton (2023)
ISBN-13: 978-1324001805
Wilson’s 2018 translation of Homer’s Odyssey garnered wide praise, bringing a contemporary sound and sensibility to a new generation of readers. She highlighted elements of the poem—such as relationships mediated by gender, wealth, poverty and power—that previous translators had overlooked or suppressed. Her new translation of Homer’s other great epic, the Iliad, promises to be equally provocative and captivating.
The Iliad, Western literature’s first great work, takes an unflinching look at the nature and costs, of war. Its story takes place over just a few pivotal weeks near the end of a Bronze Age Greek army’s ten-year siege of the great city of Troy—a war fought nominally to punish Trojans for the abduction of their queen Helen of Sparta by the Trojan prince Paris. The invading Greek army’s greatest warrior, Achilles, withdraws from the fighting after a dispute with their leader Agamemnon, bringing the threat of defeat and destruction upon the Greeks. Achilles’ action precipitates devastating results for both sides, ultimately leading to the fall of Troy itself.
Though memorable for its scenes of bloody battle and the squabbling of the gods on Olympus, the Iliad exudes an intense humanity, infusing a tragic longing for peace amid the seeming inevitability of war and destruction. Homer invites us to put ourselves into the world of the war: a place no one wants to be, where the gods seem unpredictable, and where there’s a genuine question of whether justice is anywhere to be found. We are challenged to take seriously the warriors’ values of honour and glory, which may be very different from values we hold.
From almost three thousand years ago, this great epic poem raises the fundamental questions that still matter today: questions about what is worth living—and dying—for, about honour, community, justice, love, and loyalty, as the story’s characters search to make sense of their own mortality.
PRACTICAL DETAILS
All online seminars are priced in Canadian dollars.
Once you register, you’ll get an order confirmation. We’ll send you the Zoom link and a welcome letter from your leader about 3 weeks before the seminar starts.
This seminar is a great way to deepen your tour experience! If you are registered for our March 2026 Greece tour, save 50% on the Iliad online seminar. Participants who intend to register for the Greece tour can take the discounted seminar price. In the event you are not able to book the tour, Classical Pursuits will charge for the remaining 50% of your payment.
Classical Pursuits will record this seminar, and make each session privately available to registered participants for up to two weeks after that session.
Online seminar payments are nonrefundable. Discount codes must be used at the time of purchase.
Seminar group sizes are a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 12. See full terms and conditions for Classical Pursuits online seminars. By registering for a seminar, you agree to abide by our code of conduct.
