Clash of Cultures

“Sanguineti offers compelling psychological insight into Homer as an artist and man, as well as the tragic structures of his epic. With wit and wisdom, Sanguineti provides a revealing study of a past that is historically distant, yet spiritually immanent to Western modernity. This book is essential reading for those wanting to pursue the psychodynamics of cultures and nations. It also re-reads Homer criticism in the cause of a psychologically coherent scholar-ship. Homer scholars will feast upon it.”

“A thoroughly engaging therapeutic encounter with Homer’s imagination. Sanguineti is a masterful analyst, who guides us carefully through Homer’s relationships with his characters and the epic struggles they encounter, ever mindful of the cultural and political turmoil of Homer’s time and the dangers of projecting contemporary values and presumptions into his interpretation. The result is a captivating synthesis of Freudian/Jungian ideas with Homeric storytelling that encourages us to re-read Homer’s epic works anew . . . Sanguineti’s book is a poignant reminder of the timelessness of human experience, not least the tumult and travails of emotions. Despite leading us to the evocative depths of human grief, guilt, sorrow, despair, rage, this is a very enjoyable book!”

“This is an intriguing book. Vincenzo Sanguineti’s original interpretation of the Iliad traces the influences of Homer’s background and zeitgeist together with his longing and grief for a dying civilization. Sanguineti shows that this grief is ultimately transformed in healing and sublimated in immortal poetry.”