Guide Assessment: ‘Superb Exploits’ turns classical historical past into an endearing comedy about tragedy
Greatest mates Lampo and Gelon are potters by commerce, however their souls are stuffed with poetry. It’s 412 B.C. and town of Syracuse doesn’t know what hit it when these two hatch up the very best worst thought: They’ll placed on a play utilizing the Athenian prisoners of struggle who’re ravenous to loss of life down within the rock quarry.
If the googly eyes on the quilt didn’t make it obvious, Ferdia Lennon’s knockout debut novel “Superb Exploits” is hilarious. In reality, it’s loaded with darkish humor actually from web page one. By no means earlier than has historical past been such a riot, and so indelibly endearing.
The guide is crass, quick-witted, and dialogue-heavy, making it a fast learn in addition. Born in Dublin, Lennon infuses the story with a delightfully Irish lilt, full with very Irish cursing, that offers the entire thing a type of weird but acquainted approachability. The creator’s additionally utilized his deep curiosity and information in classical historical past to offer us precisely the context wanted to set the stage for the epic story he’ll inform.
And, whereas I’m certain historical past buffs will get some additional layers of leisure, relaxation assured that even for somebody like me who’s woefully dangerous at historical past and has by no means taken a lot curiosity in Greek or Roman tales, it’s nonetheless a hoot.
“Superb Exploits” is a narrative largely constructed as if on happenstance. The administrators-in-the-making hit upon kids enjoying on the street with priceless armor they discovered, that Lampo and Gelon can then promote to fund their challenge. Later, they occur to come back throughout an previous man singing for cash within the streets whose story strikes Gelon deeply, however that Lampo solely sees as a narrative, driving a wedge between the 2.
However their friendship — and the story itself — is stronger than this. Watching them morph and develop with the challenge’s development is deeply gratifying. And relieving. If at first Lampo appears nearly unbearably terrible typically, fret not, as a result of it will get higher.
As Gelon says, “It’s poetry we’re doing. It wouldn’t imply a factor if it had been simple.”
The principle characters are sympathetic and their targets admirable — definitely feeding the Athenians is humanitarian, even when gruffly so — however earlier than lengthy I discovered myself additionally rooting for his or her success in each enterprise that branches off from the play, from Gelon’s seek for happiness to Lampo’s courting of Lyra, the brand new lady down at their favourite watering gap.
All advised, the challenge is a lot greater than placing on a few Euripides tragedies; it is lifegiving, and it challenges the obstacles thrown up between “us” and “them.”
I by no means thought I may very well be so enraptured studying a guide describe a play efficiency — particularly a tragedy I didn’t know. But, someway, after we lastly get to the large day, Lennon has infused the pages with nervous anticipation that is nearer to studying a thriller than a historic comedy.
“Superb Exploits” is a celebration of tales and storytelling lavishing within the emotional energy of the humanities, and one which’s particularly apt in coping with the fallout of the Peloponnesian Warfare at a time when, in our current actuality, preventing has left cities in rubble and hundreds of thousands of individuals dealing with hunger. Lennon presents a window via which to see previous the fog of messy politics and consider these tragedies with empathy.
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