Share
About the book
Ancient Sicily. Enter Gelon: visionary, dreamer, theatre lover.
Enter Lampo: lovesick, jobless, in need of a distraction.
Imprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse, thousands of defeated Athenians hang on by the thinnest of threads. They’re fading in the baking heat, but not everything is lost: they can still recite lines from Greek tragedy when tempted by Lampo and Gelon with goatskins of wine and scraps of food.
And so an idea is born. Because, after all, you can hate the invaders but still love their poetry.
It’s audacious. It might even be dangerous.
But like all the best things in life – love, friendship, art itself – it will reveal the very worst, and the very best, of what humans are capable of. What could possibly go wrong?
Why we love it
Breathtakingly original, Glorious Exploits reimagines one moment in classical history with a unique, contemporary voice. It is, without a doubt, one of my favourite books of recent years - not something I say lightly!
I'll admit that, like most of us probably, I know very little about either Euripides or the Peloponnesion War but it honestly didn't interfere a jot with my pure enjoyment of this unique debut novel by Dublin born writer, Ferdia Lennon.
The story follows two Syracusian potters, Gelon and Lampo, who love theatre and decide on a whim to put on a show, despite knowing nothing about the process whatsoever. With a cast made up of half-starved, near-dead Athenian prisoners of war, plus a rag-tag production crew of local kids, they work together to put on performances of Medea and The Trojan Women, two works by Greek playwright Euripides.
Written with a distinctly Irish tone of voice, the dialogue and turn of phrase used throughout the book isn't exactly authentic to the time period but it makes the story flow wonderfully, vividly bringing the characters to life.
Gelon and Lampo are just two down-on-their-luck chancers, like a million other lads out there - big dreams, all talk, but a mostly good(ish) heart underneath the bluff and bluster.
I loved the idea that sharing words, poetry and song can help to build connections between enemies, but amidst all the humour and vitality of Ferdia Lennon's story-telling, there's an underlying darkness to the story. Gelon and Lampo aren't just directing the performance of a Greek Tragedy, they're living through one and you can sense the encroaching danger as the story unfolds.
Although it's a genuinely laugh-out-loud funny book, Glorious Exploits is also an unflinching and timely reminder of the long-term impact of war on a community and the danger of being so driven by revenge that you ignore the suffering of others, sacrificing your own humanity in the process. There are no winners in warfare, just a lot of tragedy, Greek or otherwise.
An astonishingly original debut, Glorious Exploits is a surprisingly modern retelling of one small moment in history that overflows with warmth, humour and heartbreak - an absolute must-read.
