The Tampa Bay Great Books Council announces the Fall 2021 Conference on October 15th. With a unique pairing of ancient and contemporary treatments of characters and events, the program will concentrate on one of the last creations of a giant of Greek drama (Euripides) and the first novel by a classicist and rising superstar (Madeline Miller).

If your last reading of Homer’s “Iliad” was years ago, you may barely remember the character Patroclus – friend and confidante of Achilles. You will think differently after our discussions of Madeline Miller’s first novel, “The Song of Achilles” — the story of two young men, trained from childhood for war and glory, and their inevitable fate at the walls of Troy.   TBGBC Moderator Emeritus Patrick DeMarco leads the morning discussion via ZOOM.  (Paperback available for under $11 on Amazon.com.  ISBN: 978-0062060624.)

Two millennia have passed since Euripides earned a spot beside Sophocles and Aeschylus as one of the three greatest Greek playwrights. “Iphigeneia at Aulis” is one of his last plays, focusing on the single event that ignited the Trojan War.  Amid capricious gods and prideful humans, a powerfully modern story unfolds with tales of honor, sacrifice, and the true costs of war.  Linda Feeney, OLLI/GB Moderator, leads the afternoon discussion via ZOOM.  (Specific text required: Translator: W.S. Merwin, Oxford University Press.  ISBN: 978-0195077094.  Around $10 on Amazon.)