“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
Driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
The hallowed heights of Troy.”

The opening lines of The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles

“Achilles’ wrath, to Greece the direful spring
Of woes unnumber’d, heavenly goddess sing!”

The opening lines of The Iliad, translated by Alexander Pope

The stunning grandeur of Christopher Nolan’s film The Odyssey has provoked extraordinary interest in Homer’s epic: sales of translations are up manyfold.

We in the London Literary Salon are no strangers to the poem which, along with its sister epic The Iliad, has been the subject of many studies, recently in translations by Robert Fagles, Emily Wilson and Daniel Mendelsohn. If you have ever wondered what it may be like to read these great epics in the original language, now is your opportunity to find out!

Starting in January 2027, we are offering a course in Homeric Greek, consisting of three sets of 10 ninety minute sessions spread out over the year. Led by Tim Swinglehurst, our aim will be to read (however slowly) through as much of the first book of The Iliad as possible – a very good place to start reading through Homer! As Clyde Pharr (who wrote Homeric Greek: A Book for Beginners) has said, the student who achieves a read-through of The Iliad Book 1 “has come into vital contact with the magic and music of the Greek language, used in one of the most beautiful, one of the most varied, and one of the most influential compositions of all ages”.

In that first book we will leap into the explosive argument between Achilles and Agamemnon which, in its intensity and ferocity, places the nine-year conflict between Greeks and Trojans very much into the shade; we will stand upon the shore of the “wine-dark sea” to share in the moving encounter between Thetis, tender and compassionate mother, and Achilles, enflamed but tearful son; finally, we will take our seats on Mount Olympus to view the eternal bickering and eternal feastings of the eternal gods.

μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος

οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί’ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε’ ἔθηκε.

“Rage – Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,

Murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses.”

The opening lines of The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles

JOINING DETAILS:

• A series of three ten-meeting studies, each session 90 minutes, led by Tim Swinglehurst live on Zoom.
• Block 1: Sundays 4.00-5.30 pm (UK time), 10 January – 14 March 2027 (please note that we may make one Sunday a break and extend the run to 21 March if all participants agree).
• £100 for ten-meetings (£10.00 per 90 minute session).
• Required text: Homeric Greek: A Book for Beginners (Fourth Edition) by Clyde Pharr, revised by John Wright and Paula Debnar, University of Oklahoma Press, ISBN: ‎978-0806141640.
• On Sunday 11 October, 4.00-5.00 pm (UK time), we are offering an introductory session on Zoom for registrants and we will follow up with one or two more sessions before Christmas. We are encouraging participants to learn the alphabet as soon as possible (especially the lower case letters) and to begin to read some Greek words aloud ahead of the start of the study. We will provide more information and resources to participants on registration.

“Tell me the tale of a man, Muse, who had so many roundabout ways
To wander, driven off course, after sacking Troy’s hallowed keep; 
Many the peoples whose cities he saw and whose ways of thinking he learned,
Many the toils he suffered at sea, anguish in his heart 
As he struggled to safeguard his life and the homecoming of his companions.”

The opening lines of Daniel Mendelsohn’s translation of Homer’s Odyssey

“This may be the best translation of The Odyssey yet.”
Edith Hall, The Telegraph

Thanks to its enduring appeal, The Odyssey is perhaps Homer’s more famous work. It’s a collection of thrilling adventures, featuring our ‘hero’ pitted against fantastical monsters, seductive sorcerers, and the forces of nature. And The Odyssey is also a meditation on identity, homecoming, and finding one’s place in the world. Full of complex relationships and characters – including a wealth of female figures – the work explores the guest-host relationship and how we encounter and understand difference.

We’re delighted to offer a twelve-week study, covering two books per session, allowing time to look at the text from many angles: its historical context, the debates surrounding its authorship, its literary and psychological subtexts and its enduring influence on modern culture in the English-speaking world and beyond. We will combine a close reading of the text and a wider focus, including poems and art inspired by the epic, consideration of the psychology of war and return, and images of museum exhibits.

Published in 2025, the celebrated author, critic and classicist Daniel Mendelsohn’s acclaimed translation has brought The Odyssey to new life. Readers have praised this line-for-line translation for capturing the epic’s formal qualities – meter, enjambment, alliteration and assonance – to produce a work full of the beauty and music of the original as well as its archaic grandeur.

Whether it’s your first reading or one of many, we hope you can join us to explore the complexity and difficulty of this central character and why the poem remains at the heart of our shared literary culture today.

JOINING DETAILS:

• Twelve two-hour meetings live on Zoom, led by Susanna Taggart and Caroline Hammond.
• Thursdays, 5.00-7.00 pm (UK time), from 14 January to 1 April 2027.
• Optional one-hour session for final reflections on Thursday 8 April.
• Recommended edition: The Odyssey: A New Translation by Daniel Mendelsohn, Penguin Classics, ISBN-10: 0241733588, ISBN-13: 978-0241733585.
•  £480 for twelve meetings with two facilitators, to include opening notes and resources.

We are now planning for 2027 and our sixth visit to the enchanting island of Agistri in the Saronic Gulf, where we read the classical literature of Ancient Greece. Over three week-long studies, we will study Homer’s Odyssey, Euripides’ Medea, and The Bacchae by Euripides with Aristophanes’ The Birds. Reading these extraordinary and enduring works in the midst of this land and seascape can only deepen and enrich our experience of the texts. Do take a look at our ‘Gallery’ page and below to see photos from our previous studies on the island.

First performed in 431BCE, as the third – and only surviving – part of a trilogy, Medea remains one of the most-produced Greek tragedies. It is an exploration of the roles of men and women, both actual and ideal, but is it also an argument for sexual equality?

In a monologue addressed to the Chorus – our moral conscience – Medea produces a memorable assertion about a gap in understanding between men and women. She tells us that men

“. . . say that we live a life free from danger at home, while they fight with the spear. They are so wrong! For I would rather take my stand three times with a shield in battle than once give birth to a child.“

We know that in Athens, women were not permitted to exercise legal, economic or social autonomy. How can we therefore explain the fact that the tragic plays that survive often portray them as having influential social and moral force? Can we think of Euripides in particular as a kind of proto-feminist? There are many occasions in Medea and other of his plays when his characters express damning general criticisms of women. Could a ‘proto-feminist’ be also a misogynist?

Medea has already committed two murders, both of them in service of Jason – who subsequently abandons her in favour of a younger and richer woman. The precise details of her plotting of revenge on him are so gruesome that we may struggle to feel sympathy for her. If one wanted to write a play about ‘proto-feminism’, would one not try to make the central character more engaging?

But Euripides is not trying to create a sympathetic character to whom we can relate in an easy, comfortable way. His aim is to confront us with something truly shocking and to explore issues which we might choose to avoid. It is possible to compare Medea with Oedipus, even though the contrasts are obvious: one acts from good intentions and has no idea of the terrible deeds he has done, whereas the other acts from malign intent and knows exactly what terrible things she has done and intends to do. The similarities lie in the way they both dominate their plays, being hardly ever off stage, and act as chief protagonists who determine the course of events, by their bold actions confronting things we might prefer to turn away from. And perhaps this is why Euripides can appear so modern to us. Terrible things breed in broken hearts.

JOINING DETAILS:

• Seven-day study of Euripides’ Medea on the island of Agistri: Thursday 29 April-Thursday 6 May 2027
• Facilitated by Toby Brothers, Jane Wymark and Keith Fosbrook
• Cost: £950 for the Salon study, to include a preparatory meeting in April (on Zoom, date to be confirmed), background materials and opening notes. Opening notes will be sent after registration.
• The study programme will run for four to five hours per day for five days, with one day left open and travel days at each end (arriving by 17.00 local time on Day 1 and leaving by 09.00 on Day 8). There will be opportunities for other optional activities including kayaking adventures, trips to local sights, or pure relaxation.
• Before you arrive on Agistri we will ask you to read Medea, we recommend the Norton Critical Edition, translated and edited by Sheila Murnaghan, ISBN13: 9780393265453.
• Payment: we ask for an initial (non-returnable) deposit of £100 on registration to secure your place using the booking form below. The balance of £850 will be payable by bank transfer (we will supply bank details), due by 31 January 2027.
• Refunds: please note that any refunds will be entirely at the discretion of the London Literary Salon, dependent on our ability to fill the place, and will be subject to a charge to cover our administration costs.
• Waiting list: if the study sells out early we will maintain a waiting list as we sometimes find that people have to withdraw for reasons beyond their control.

BOOKING & ENQUIRIES:

To ask questions please email us at litsalon@gmail.com using ‘Agistri 2027 – Medea’ as the subject line.

ACCOMMODATION COSTS:

Room and half board (breakfast and dinner each day) will be arranged with the hotel by the individual participant and paid for directly to them. A deposit to cover accommodation for two nights will be required by the hotel on booking. We will send you full contact details for payment on registration. We have set out the anticipated charges below, but these may be subject to change at the time of booking at the discretion of the hotel.

Accommodation prices per night at the hotel – Rosy’s Little Village – are estimated below on the basis of figures available in July 2026 but may be subject to small changes:

• Single – €80 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per day
• Double – €90 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for two people – €100 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for three people – €110 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day

Please consider sharing accommodation with another participant as this helps us to ensure that everyone can stay on site; double and triple rooms offer split levels and so allow sharers a significant degree of personal privacy.

OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS TO BUDGET FOR:

Flights to Athens: when booking please make sure you can arrive at the port of Piraeus by 15.00 local time on the first day of your study to catch the ferry. We will not be meeting formally on the final day of the study, so you have choices about your return (ferries are frequent and the travel time to Piraeus is one hour) but participants normally leave Agistri at around 09.00.

Ferry to Agistri: normally around €14 each way.

Incidental expenses: drinks, lunches, extra trips etc.

Insurance: we hope this will be entirely redundant, but we ask you to arrange your own travel and health insurance to protect you in case of anything untoward happening. We will ask you for details of the insurance provider and reference number, as well as your mobile phone number and details of next of kin to add to our (confidential) records for use during the study.

We are now planning for 2027 and our sixth visit to the enchanting island of Agistri in the Saronic Gulf to read the classical literature of Ancient Greece. Over three week-long studies, we will study Homer’s Odyssey, Euripides’ Medea, and The Bacchae by Euripides with Aristophanes’ The Birds. Reading these extraordinary and enduring works in the midst of this land and seascape can only deepen and enrich our experience of the texts. Do take a look at our ‘Gallery’ page to see photos from our previous studies on the island.

“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.
Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,
many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea,
fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.
But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove —
the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,
the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun
and the Sungod wiped from sight the day of their return.
Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
start from where you will —sing for our time too.”

The opening lines of Robert Fagles’ translation of Homer’s Odyssey

In May 2027, for the sixth year running, we’ll be returning to Agistri – our Greek home-from-home – to study Homer’s Odyssey for one week. The Odyssey is a meditation on identity, homecoming, and finding one’s place in the world. Full of complex relationships and characters – including a wealth of compelling female figures – the poem explores hospitality, exile, and what it means to encounter and understand difference. It is also a collection of thrilling adventures, featuring our ‘hero’ pitted against fantastical monsters, seductive sorceresses, and the forces of nature.

The Odyssey continues to inspire artists more than two and a half millennia after it was composed. Christopher Nolan’s extraordinary film adaptation is now introducing the epic to a new generation, offering not a literal translation but a cinematic reimagining that uses the language of film – scale, imagery and narrative – to capture something of the poem’s richness and emotional power. The film is a reminder that Homer’s works are not simply monuments of the ancient world but living stories that continue to invite fresh interpretations.

Homer’s works form the foundation of Western civilisation, and their influence remains very much alive in the modern world; even on a first reading, the characters, themes and events can feel strikingly familiar. Those who have read The Iliad will recognise echoes of its world and witness the continuing stories of many of its central figures, but no prior knowledge is needed. On the island, we’ll be reading Homer in the land where it was composed and performed, where the landscape itself seems to reflect and illuminate the beauty of the language and themes. Each year we find that studying as a residential group creates fresh, rich understandings and new connections with both the work and one another.

This will be the fourth time we embark on reading the vivid and gripping Odyssey on Agistri. Our study will use Homer’s epic poem to explore closely the guest-host relationship, the defining struggle of humans against overwhelming nature, the experience of selfhood in foreign spaces, our understanding of the heroic, and the role of myth and epic in lived experience. Facilitators for the study are Salon Director Toby Brothers, together with Alison Cable and Susanna Taggart. Susanna, who combines her love of Ancient Greek literature with her professional life as a clinical psychologist, will bring to the discussion insights into the psychological challenges of post-combat living for returning soldiers, their loved ones, and communities.

As a complement to the textual study, writer and facilitator Alison Cable will lead a creative workshop inspired by Penelope, who weaves as an act of both duty and quiet resistance. Through a gentle introduction to off-loom weaving, participants will experience the rhythm of warp and weft as a way of thinking about pattern, connection and making. Alongside this hands-on exploration, through creative writing we will invite participants to weave words together in response to The Odyssey and its enduring themes. The landscape, visual art, poetry, and conversations throughout the week may also offer further inspiration for creative reflection.

The venue we have chosen for our stay on the beautiful and quiet island of Agistri is a small family-run hotel, easily accessible (just one hour by ferry from Athens). It provides the perfect setting for our study, offering a relaxing atmosphere, excellent food and opportunities for additional cultural and recreational activities. As one former participant commented: “The beauty and pleasure of the surroundings soothed my soul, leaving me feeling refreshed and connected to the literature and the group in ways I couldn’t have experienced at home.” Do come and join us!

JOINING DETAILS:

• Seven-day study of Homer’s Odyssey on the island of Agistri: Saturday 8-Saturday 15 May 2027
• Facilitated by Toby Brothers, Alison Cable and Susanna Taggart
• Cost: £950 for the Salon study, to include a preparatory meeting in April (on Zoom, date to be confirmed), background materials and opening notes. Opening notes will be sent after registration.
• The study programme will run for four to five hours per day for five days, with one day left open and travel days at each end (arriving by 17.00 local time on Day 1 and leaving by 09.00 on Day 8). There will be opportunities for other optional activities including kayaking adventures, trips to local sights, or pure relaxation.
• Before you arrive on Agistri we will ask you to read Robert Fagles’ translation of The Odyssey (Penguin Classics, ISBN: 9780140268867). We also recommend listening to Ian McKellen’s audio reading of Robert Fagles’ translation as a great way to experience The Odyssey in preparation for the study.
• Payment: we ask for an initial (non-returnable) deposit of £100 on registration to secure your place using the booking form below. The balance of £850 will be payable by bank transfer (we will supply bank details), due by 31 January 2027.
• Refunds: please note that any refunds will be entirely at the discretion of the London Literary Salon, dependent on our ability to fill the place, and will be subject to a charge to cover our administration costs.
• Waiting list: if the study sells out early we will maintain a waiting list as we sometimes find that people have to withdraw for reasons beyond their control.

BOOKING & ENQUIRIES:

To ask questions please email us at litsalon@gmail.com using ‘Agistri 2027 – Odyssey’ as the subject line.

ACCOMMODATION COSTS:

Room and half board (breakfast and dinner each day) will be arranged with the hotel by the individual participant and paid for directly to them. A deposit to cover accommodation for two nights will be required by the hotel on booking. We will send you full contact details for payment on registration. We have set out the anticipated charges below, but these may be subject to change at the time of booking at the discretion of the hotel.

Accommodation prices per night at the hotel – Rosy’s Little Village – are estimated below on the basis of figures available in July 2026 but may be subject to small changes:

• Single – €80 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per day
• Double – €90 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for two people – €100 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for three people – €110 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day

Please consider sharing accommodation with another participant as this helps us to ensure that everyone can stay on site; double and triple rooms offer split levels and so allow sharers a significant degree of personal privacy.

OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS TO BUDGET FOR:

Flights to Athens: when booking please make sure you can arrive at the port of Piraeus by 15.00 local time on the first day of your study to catch the ferry. We will not be meeting formally on the final day of the study, so you have choices about your return (ferries are frequent and the travel time to Piraeus is one hour) but participants normally leave Agistri at around 09.00.

Ferry to Agistri: normally around €14 each way.

Incidental expenses: drinks, lunches, extra trips etc.

Insurance: we hope this will be entirely redundant, but we ask you to arrange your own travel and health insurance to protect you in case of anything untoward happening. We will ask you for details of the insurance provider and reference number, as well as your mobile phone number and details of next of kin to add to our (confidential) records for use during the study.

We are now preparing for 2027 and our sixth visit to the enchanting island of Agistri in the Saronic Gulf to read the classical literature of Ancient Greece. Over three week-long studies, we will study Homer’s Odyssey, Euripides’ Medea, and The Bacchae by Euripides with Aristophanes’ The Birds. Reading these extraordinary and enduring works in the midst of this land and seascape can only deepen and enrich our experience of the texts. Do take a look at our ‘Gallery’ page and below to see photos from our previous studies on the island.

Join us on Agistri to study a wonderful double bill of tragedy and comedy – The Bacchae by Euripides and The Birds by Aristophanes.

“Light the fiery torch of lightning! 
Burn it all, burn it down, burn the whole house of Pentheus!” 

Euripides, The Bacchae

The Bacchae tells the story of how Dionysus – god of wine, festivity and frenzy – takes revenge on King Pentheus of Thebes for rejecting his power. Dionysus first drives Pentheus insane then lures him to the mountains surrounding Thebes. There Pentheus’ mother and a band of Dionysus’ frenzied female followers take their bloody revenge. 

First performed in 406 BCE, The Bacchae is Euripides’ final play and was awarded first prize at the Dionysia festival posthumously.  Considered by many to be his finest work, it is revered for the beauty of its language and the complexity with which Euripides addresses the issues of faith and society. There are themes too of a struggle between ‘civilisation’ and primal instincts, as well as suppressed emotions causing a threat to society. 

Thomas Macaulay wrote: “The Bacchae is a glorious play. It is often very obscure; and I am not sure that I understand its general scope. But, as a piece of language, it is hardly equalled in the world. And, whether it was intended to encourage or to discourage fanaticism, the picture of fanatical excitement which it exhibits has never been rivalled.” 

In Ancient Greece, theatre performances moved from tragedy to comedy, shifting audiences from horror and despair to lightness and joy. Similarly, we’ll move from the high drama of The Bacchae to the satire and wit of The Birds. 

In The Birds, Aristophanes tells the story of how two Athenians, Pisthetaerus and Euelpides, leave the world of men in search of a city without pettiness and corruption to live in peace and justice. They search for Tereus, a king who has managed to change himself into a hoopoe, or so he says, and married a nightingale. Together with the birds, they establish a state in the ether and build a wall between men and the gods. The work of building their prototype community is interrupted by various Athenians keen to interfere, including a poet, a seer and a town planner. Finally, a delegation from the gods, outraged by the loss of access to their human supplicants, arrives for a final showdown. 

First performed in 414 BCE, The Birds is acclaimed for the completeness of the fantasy world created and the lyrical beauty of its depiction of the world of birds. The social satire seems as relevant to modern times as when it was written. And there are some good jokes! 

Combining a tragic and a comic play in one study allows us a fresh perspective on the elements of Ancient Greek theatre and insights into how dramatists connected with their audiences and reflected their world back to them.

We’ll be reading The Baachae from The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides (Modern Library Classics, ISBN-10: ‎0812993004, ISBN-13: 978-0812993004) but all translations are welcome. 

We’ll be reading The Birds by Aristophanes from The Birds and Other Plays: The Knights/Peace/Wealth/The Assembly Women (Penguin Classics, ISBN-13 ‏: ‎978-0141913223) but all translations are welcome.

JOINING DETAILS:

• Seven-day study of Euripides’ The Bacchae and Aristophanes’ The Birds on the island of Agistri: Monday 17-Monday 24 May 2027
• Facilitated by Toby Brothers, Caroline Hammond and Susanna Taggart
• Cost: £950 for the Salon study, to include a preparatory meeting in April (on Zoom, date to be confirmed), background materials and opening notes. Opening notes will be sent after registration.
• The study programme will run for four to five hours per day for five days, with one day left open and travel days at each end (arriving by 17.00 local time on Day 1 and leaving by 09.00 on Day 8). There will be opportunities for other optional activities including kayaking adventures, trips to local sites, or pure relaxation.
• Before you arrive on Agistri we will ask you to read both The Bacchae and The Birds (recommended editions are given above).
• Payment: we ask for an initial (non-returnable) deposit of £100 on registration to secure your place using the booking form below. The balance of £850 will be payable by bank transfer (we will supply bank details), due by 31 January 2027.
• Refunds: please note that any refunds will be entirely at the discretion of the London Literary Salon, dependent on our ability to fill the place, and will be subject to a charge to cover our administration costs.
• Waiting list: if the study sells out early we will maintain a waiting list as we sometimes find that people have to withdraw for reasons beyond their control.

BOOKING & ENQUIRIES:

To ask questions please email us at litsalon@gmail.com using ‘Agistri 2027 – The Bacchae & Birds’ as the subject line.

ACCOMMODATION COSTS:

Room and half board (breakfast and dinner each day) will be arranged with the hotel by the individual participant and paid for directly to them. A deposit to cover accommodation for two nights will be required by the hotel on booking. We will send you full contact details for payment on registration. We have set out the anticipated charges below, but these may be subject to change at the time of booking at the discretion of the hotel.

Accommodation prices per night at the hotel – Rosy’s Little Village – are estimated below on the basis of figures available in July 2026 but may be subject to small changes:

• Single – €80 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per day
• Double – €90 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for two people – €100 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for three people – €110 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day

Please consider sharing accommodation with another participant as this helps us to ensure that everyone can stay on site; double and triple rooms offer split levels and so allow sharers a significant degree of personal privacy.

OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS TO BUDGET FOR:

Flights to Athens: when booking please make sure you can arrive at the port of Piraeus by 15.00 local time on the first day of your study to catch the ferry. We will not be meeting formally on the final day of the study, so you have choices about your return (ferries are frequent and the travel time to Piraeus is one hour) but participants normally leave Agistri at around 09.00.

Ferry to Agistri: normally around €14 each way.

Incidental expenses: drinks, lunches, extra trips etc.

Insurance: we hope this will be entirely redundant, but we ask you to arrange your own travel and health insurance to protect you in case of anything untoward happening. We will ask you for details of the insurance provider and reference number, as well as your mobile phone number and details of next of kin to add to our (confidential) records for use during the study.