The Songs of the Kings
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The Songs of the Kings by Barry Unsworth
A brilliant retelling of an ancient myth, The Songs of the Kings offers up a different narrative of the Trojan War, one devoid of honor, wherein the mission to rescue Helen is a pretext for plundering Troy of its treasures. As the ships of the Greek fleet find themselves stalled in the straits at Aulis, waiting vainly for the gods to deliver more favorable winds, Odysseus cynically advances a call for the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter, Calchas the diviner interprets events for the reader, and a Homer-like figure called the Singer is persuaded to proclaim a tale of a just war to hide the corrupt motivations of those in power. But couched within the Singer's spin is a message at once timely and timeless: "There is always another story. But it is the stories told by the strong, the songs of kings, that are believed in the end."Barry Unsworth (1930-2012) was a British historical fiction novelist. With Sacred Hunger, he won the Booker Prize, and was also nominated for Pascali's Isle and Morality Play. He wrote seventeen novels, all of which were well-received by critics.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780525435242 |
| ISBN 10 | 0525435247 |
| Title | The Songs of the Kings |
| Author | Barry Unsworth |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Random House USA Inc |
| Year published | 2017-11-14 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |