Reading Groups

The Iliad with Lila Azam Zanganeh

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8 Sessions Saturdays, 12:00 pm EDT - 1:30 pm EDT April 4 to July 11, 2026

Online via Zoom

The ‘With Books’ option includes the titles required for this group at a 10% discount from our Bookstore.

Meeting Dates:
4/4, 4/18, 5/2, 5/16, 5/30, 6/13, 6/27, 7/11
Online via Zoom

The Iliad only spans six weeks toward the end of the ten-year, legendary war between the Greeks and the Trojans—but these six weeks lend shape and color to some of the greatest scenes of wrath and epic war known to the Western imagination.

The Greeks have been waiting to bring Helen (the most beautiful woman alive) back home to Sparta after her abduction to Troy. In Emily Wilson’s sonorous and sparkling translation, the epic poem begins with the word menin—”cataclysmic wrath.” “War is a task for men,” the Trojan prince Hector later says. “For every man born here in Troy, but most especially, me.” Consequently, he, Achilles, and Agamemnon each rise to meet their human and god-appointed fates. In doing so, they define what a man is and his highest, most burning desire through our long night of time. We’ll bring our modern ears and imaginations to this unforgettable tale. Expect a conversational course open to participants’ questions and context provided by the instructor.

Reading List:

The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

What to read in advance of the first meeting: Please read the first three books (i.e., chapters) of The Iliad, translated by Emily Wilson, in advance of the first meeting.

Pricing inclusive of sales tax if applicable. Please note: All virtual classes are recorded. Please click here for information about our recording policy.

Led by

Lila Azam Zanganeh

Lila Azam Zanganeh

Lila Azam Zanganeh was born in Paris to Iranian parents. After studying literature and philosophy at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, she moved to the United States to teach literature and cinema at Harvard University. She has contributed criticism, interviews and essays to a host of publications including the New York Times, the New Yorker, Le Monde, La Repubblica, and the Paris Review. Her first book, The Enchanter: Nabokov and Happiness, was the recipient of the 2011 Roger Shattuck Prize, delivered by the Center for Fiction, and was published worldwide in thirteen languages. Lila serves as a Director on the Board of Trustees for the Vladimir Nabokov Literary Foundation and as a member of the Advisory Board of Libraries Without Borders. She has also served as a judge for the Man Booker Prize and the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. Her forthcoming novel, Exit Paradise, will be published in 2027.

About this series

Reading Groups

Whether you’re looking to catch up on great novels or you’re interested in exploring a new writer or literary period, our reading groups offer high-level literary discussion led by experts in the field.

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