Charles Bainbridge enjoys the latest part of Christopher Logue's reworking of Homer, Cold Calls

From The Guardian:

Logue's focus here is on a very modern kind of voyeurism, one that has an instant and global impact.

Several other poets have, in their recent work, also looked to Homer as a way forward, each responding in markedly different ways. Michael Longley, for example, has woven short extracts from both The Iliad and The Odyssey into wonderfully delicate lyrics that explore Northern Ireland's recent history; Derek Walcott's Omeros is a subtle and impressive reworking of The Iliad into the textures and history of the Caribbean island of St Lucia.

Logue's way in was via Ezra Pound, especially the early Cantos. These themselves include extracts from both The Iliad and The Odyssey. But what Logue took to heart so effectively were Pound's technical innovations, his cinematic evocation of place and landscape, his sensitivity to typography, his use of imagery and rhythm. The essence of Logue's achievement has been to combine these features with an exhilarating narrative drive and a remarkable sensitivity to the energies of contemporary language.

More here.