In the Oresteia trilogy Aeschylus addressed the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the House of Atreus, the royal family of Mycenae. One of the supreme productions of all literature, it deals with two great themes: the retribution of crime and the inheritance of evil.

The Oresteia is the only complete trilogy to have survived from Ancient Greece. Like The Odyssey it depicts the aftermath of the Trojan War and the homecoming of the fighters. In Agamemnon, a king’s decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution. The Libation Bearers deals with the aftermath of Clytemnestra’s regicide, as her son Orestes sets out to avenge his father’s death. In The Eumenides, Orestes is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased. Forming an elegant and subtle discourse on the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, the Oresteia is a compelling tragedy exploring the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a society.

To study these plays as a group is to experience both the familiarity and the strangeness of the ancient world.  The plays that Athenians crowded into theatres to watch show people who are profoundly different to us in their outlook, but also startlingly like us in their conflicts and desires. 

Translator Sarah Ruden is a writer, translator and classical scholar who brings a fresh and accessible approach to the Oresteia.  Considered a leading interpreter of ancient literature, her publications include poetry, essays and an acclaimed biography of Virgil.

Praise for The Greek Plays:

“Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm deftly have gathered strong new translations from Frank Nisetich, Sarah Ruden, Rachel Kitzinger, Emily Wilson, as well as from Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm themselves. There is a freshness and pungency in these new translations that should last a long time. I admire also the introductions to the plays and the biographies and annotations provided. Closing essays by five distinguished classicists—the brilliant Daniel Mendelsohn and the equally skilled David Rosenbloom, Joshua Billings, Mary-Kay Gamel, and Gregory Hays—all enlightened me. This seems to me a helpful light into our gathering darkness.”

Harold Bloom

JOINING DETAILS:

• Seven two-hour meetings live on Zoom, from 6.00-8.00 pm (UK time) on consecutive Tuesdays from 8 September to 20 October led by Susanna Taggart and Caroline Hammond
• Recommended edition: The Greek Plays- Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, Ballantine Books, ISBN: 978-0-8129-8309-8
• £280 for 7 meetings with two facilitators, to include opening notes and resources.

We are now planning for 2027 and our sixth visit to the enchanting island of Agistri in the Saronic Gulf to read the classical literature of Ancient Greece. Over three week-long studies, we will study Homer’s Odyssey, Euripides’ Medea, and The Bacchae by Euripides with Aristophanes’ The Birds (the other week-long studies have still to be announced). Reading these extraordinary and enduring works in the midst of this land and seascape can only deepen and enrich our experience of the texts. Do take a look at our ‘Gallery’ page to see photos from our previous studies on the island.

“Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.
Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,
many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea,
fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.
But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove —
the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,
the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun
and the Sungod wiped from sight the day of their return.
Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
start from where you will —sing for our time too.”

The opening lines of Robert Fagles’ translation of Homer’s Odyssey

In May 2027, for the sixth year running, we’ll be returning to Agistri – our Greek home-from-home – to study Homer’s Odyssey for one week. The Odyssey is a meditation on identity, homecoming, and finding one’s place in the world. Full of complex relationships and characters – including a wealth of compelling female figures – the poem explores hospitality, exile, and what it means to encounter and understand difference. It is also a collection of thrilling adventures, featuring our ‘hero’ pitted against fantastical monsters, seductive sorceresses, and the forces of nature.

The Odyssey continues to inspire artists more than two and a half millennia after it was composed. Christopher Nolan’s extraordinary film adaptation is now introducing the epic to a new generation, offering not a literal translation but a cinematic reimagining that uses the language of film – scale, imagery and narrative – to capture something of the poem’s richness and emotional power. The film is a reminder that Homer’s works are not simply monuments of the ancient world but living stories that continue to invite fresh interpretations.

Homer’s works form the foundation of Western civilisation, and their influence remains very much alive in the modern world; even on a first reading, the characters, themes and events can feel strikingly familiar. Those who have read The Iliad will recognise echoes of its world and witness the continuing stories of many of its central figures, but no prior knowledge is needed. On the island, we’ll be reading Homer in the land where it was composed and performed, where the landscape itself seems to reflect and illuminate the beauty of the language and themes. Each year we find that studying as a residential group creates fresh, rich understandings and new connections with both the work and one another.

This will be the fourth time we embark on reading the vivid and gripping Odyssey on Agistri. Our study will use Homer’s epic poem to explore closely the guest-host relationship, the defining struggle of humans against overwhelming nature, the experience of selfhood in foreign spaces, our understanding of the heroic, and the role of myth and epic in lived experience. Facilitators for the study are Salon Director Toby Brothers, together with Alison Cable and Susanna Taggart. Susanna, who combines her love of Ancient Greek literature with her professional life as a clinical psychologist, will bring to the discussion insights into the psychological challenges of post-combat living for returning soldiers, their loved ones, and communities.

As a complement to the textual study, writer and facilitator Alison Cable will lead a creative workshop inspired by Penelope, who weaves as an act of both duty and quiet resistance. Through a gentle introduction to off-loom weaving, participants will experience the rhythm of warp and weft as a way of thinking about pattern, connection and making. Alongside this hands-on exploration, through creative writing we will invite participants to weave words together in response to The Odyssey and its enduring themes. The landscape, visual art, poetry, and conversations throughout the week may also offer further inspiration for creative reflection.

The venue we have chosen for our stay on the beautiful and quiet island of Agistri is a small family-run hotel, easily accessible (just one hour by ferry from Athens). It provides the perfect setting for our study, offering a relaxing atmosphere, excellent food and opportunities for additional cultural and recreational activities. As one former participant commented: “The beauty and pleasure of the surroundings soothed my soul, leaving me feeling refreshed and connected to the literature and the group in ways I couldn’t have experienced at home.” Do come and join us!

JOINING DETAILS:

• Seven-day study of Homer’s Odyssey on the island of Agistri: Sunday 9-Sunday 16 May 2027
• Facilitated by Toby Brothers, Alison Cable and Susanna Taggart
• Cost: £950 for the Salon study, to include a preparatory meeting in April (on Zoom, date to be confirmed), background materials and opening notes. Opening notes will be sent after registration.
• The study programme will run for four to five hours per day for five days, with one day left open and travel days at each end (arriving by 17.00 local time on Day 1 and leaving by 09.00 on Day 8). There will be opportunities for other optional activities including kayaking adventures, trips to local sights, or pure relaxation.
• Before you arrive on Agistri we will ask you to read Robert Fagles’ translation of The Odyssey (Penguin Classics, ISBN: 9780140268867). We also recommend listening to Ian McKellen’s audio reading of Robert Fagles’ translation as a great way to experience The Odyssey in preparation for the study.
• Payment: we ask for an initial (non-returnable) deposit of £100 on registration to secure your place using the booking form below. The balance of £850 will be payable by bank transfer (we will supply bank details), due by 31 January 2027.
• Refunds: please note that any refunds will be entirely at the discretion of the London Literary Salon, dependent on our ability to fill the place, and will be subject to a charge to cover our administration costs.
• Waiting list: if the study sells out early we will maintain a waiting list as we sometimes find that people have to withdraw for reasons beyond their control.

BOOKING & ENQUIRIES:

To ask questions please email us at litsalon@gmail.com using ‘Agistri 2027 – Odyssey’ as the subject line.

ACCOMMODATION COSTS:

Room and half board (breakfast and dinner each day) will be arranged with the hotel by the individual participant and paid for directly to them. A deposit to cover accommodation for two nights will be required by the hotel on booking. We will send you full contact details for payment on registration. We have set out the anticipated charges below, but these may be subject to change at the time of booking at the discretion of the hotel.

Accommodation prices per night at the hotel – Rosy’s Little Village – are estimated below on the basis of figures available in July 2026 but may be subject to small changes:

• Single – €80 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per day
• Double – €90 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Triple – €77 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for two people – €100 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for three people – €107 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day

Please consider sharing accommodation with another participant as this helps us to ensure that everyone can stay on site; double and triple rooms offer split levels and so allow sharers a significant degree of personal privacy.

OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS TO BUDGET FOR:

Flights to Athens: when booking please make sure you can arrive at the port of Piraeus by 15.00 local time on the first day of your study to catch the ferry. We will not be meeting formally on the final day of the study, so you have choices about your return (ferries are frequent and the travel time to Piraeus is one hour) but participants normally leave Agistri at around 09.00.

Ferry to Agistri: normally around €14 each way.

Incidental expenses: drinks, lunches, extra trips etc.

Insurance: we hope this will be entirely redundant, but we ask you to arrange your own travel and health insurance to protect you in case of anything untoward happening. We will ask you for details of the insurance provider and reference number, as well as your mobile phone number and details of next of kin to add to our (confidential) records for use during the study.