What does the oldest surviving work of European literature have to tell us about our inclination as humans to engage in war and violence? Can Homer’s Iliad, seen for centuries as exalting the glory of the warrior, be read as an anti-war statement? To what extent does it call into question the code its characters live by?

This discussion of Homer’s epic will feature perspectives from actor Denis O’Hare, Iraq veteran and artist Drew Cameron, UMD Classicist and Homerist Lillian Doherty and emergency medicine physician and combat veteran Sudip Bose, who founded the organization The Battle Continues after his 15-month deployment to the front lines during the Iraq War.

Creative Dialogues is a free conversation series designed to inspire cross-disciplinary conversations around issues that inspire and motivate artists to create their work.

This event is part of our Civil War to Civil Rights: The Well-Being of a Nation series.