Critique du Publishers Weekly
Wilkens, identified only as a scholar living in Paris, claims that Homer's Iliad and Odyssey do not describe Greek civilization at all. According to his fanciful reading of these texts and of history, the Trojan War was fought between Bronze Age Celts; Troy was in East Anglia, England, not in Asia Minor; and Odysseus plied the Atlantic, with stops in Senegal (Land of the Lotus-Eaters) and Havana, Cuba. Homer, it is claimed here, was a poet from Holland who lived in Spain and France. Maps, photos, tables and comparisons of place names, tides, vegetation, etc., support a flimsy argument. Although at least some elements of his thesis have been advanced as early as 1790, Wilkens plays fast and loose with the evidence. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Critique de Booklist
Homer was Dutch? Troy was near London? Penelope was busy weaving away in Ithaca--in Spain? So posits Iman Wilkens in this curious book. It's ingenious--but whether that means a work of genius or only of obsessive cleverness remains to be seen. Certainly the arguments are compelling: Homer has his heroes launch ships on the tides, though the Mediterranean--unlike, say, the North Sea--lacks such tides. Homer never calls the Greeks "Greeks," but refers to them as Acheans--"the Allies" in Celtic. There are "unceasing rains" in Troy--an unlikely description of Turkey. There are 15 Trojan rivers named by Homer, but none with similar names exist in Asia Minor today--although all can be found in England. Was the Temese, for example, the Thames? This one-of-a-kind book is the result of 30 years work, clearly that of someone dedicated to a theory. Intriguing, massively researched, sure to cause contro~versy. ~--Pat Monaghan
