Erich Lessing (1923–2018)

I rather liked this book. Initally I thought that it was a bit overwrought with multiple prose sections .....mainly about Ulysses and the places he visited...but also a kind of philosophy of photography. But generally i found the prose sections quite interesting ...especially when they were arguing the merits of various current sites and trying to line them up with what Homer had said. I'd always regarded Homer's stories as having a "grain" of truth but this book has convinced me that there was much more than a "grain" of truth and most of the places where Ulysses visited and had his adventures seem to have modern counterparts and (presumably) these correspond with those in Homer's tales. Some of the detail is just too close to be merely a work of imagination. (Leaving aside the various giants and supernatural creatures who inhabited these places)
I wonder if Homer actually went on such a sea voyage? And, if not, who did? And if it was actually Homer himself....was he able to see at the time (ie not blind)? Or how did he get such accurate details as:
".......Ithaca. On its coast is an inlet
sacred to Phorkys, the ancient of the sea,
where two detached headlands of sheer cliff stand forth and screen a harbour between their steeps".
Seems to me, that somebody actually made such a journey and put it to verse. Was it a mariner's handbook as well as a lusty story? I guess there are thousands of learned treatises about this.
Anyway, the authors have made a first rate job of marrying the text of the Odyssey with the photos of Erich Lessing. Sometimes, I think Lessing goes in for a bit too much macro focus ...eg with the ram on plate 77 and he's actually best when he's photographing current scenery ..such as the various islands or beaches or landscapes. I must have read variations of the Odyssey many times but this particular version brought it alive for me. Though, I must admit, I find the idea of the Gods playing such an active and intertwined role with humans a bit hard to swallow.
The book is not quite as old as Homer ....but still by modern standards, rather dated (1966) but it holds up well...and I only paid $7 for it so think I got a bargain. Happy to give it four stars and I'm teetering on giving it five.… (mer)