The identity of the composer of the Iliad is a matter of some speculation. The ancients believed it was a bard called Homer, although they disagreed about biographical details. It was commonly thought that he lived on Chios, an island off the west coast of Turkey, some time between 1100 and 700 BC, probably closer to the latter. Traditionally portrayed as blind, he is said to have composed The Iliad, The Odyssey and The Homeric Hymns, a series of choral addresses to the gods.
The final book of The Iliad has to be regarded, for my money, as the first great work in Western literature -- Ranjit Bolt * Guardian * The granddaddy of all classics -- Luke Slattery * Sydney Morning Herald * All we read today would be unwritable without the 'love,' 'death' and 'dark' that come to us in the first book of The Iliad * The New York Times *