Ian Morris

A line-by-line rendering of the great epic retells, in free-running lines of six-beat verse, the great matter of the Trojan War, Achilles' and Hector's fallible heroism and deaths, and the comings and goings of gods and men.

When Bad Things Happen to Rich People is a novel of social satire, a black comedy set in Chicago in the summer of 1995. The novel's protagonist, Nix Walters, is an adjunct instructor of English at a communications college in the loop with few prospects for advancement. He had become a literary punch line when his novel, touted as the next big literary phenomenon, was universally panned by critics. He and his pregnant wife, Flora, are struggling financially;...