Poet Mark Ladewig Takes Greek Mythology to a Whole New Level

Mark Ladewig a native Californian ,father of two children and world traveler reintroduces us to Greek Mythology and the famous Odysseus in a way he has never been seen before.   Kirkus Review wrote:   Sing to me of the versatile man, o Muse, who sacked the sacred citadel of Troy . . .   So begins The Odyssey, that great epic, sung for hundreds of years, read for thousands more. California teacher and poet Ladewig takes that as the point of departure for his inventive verse re-imagining of the poem, adding words and lines that gloss the original with specific images. At his opening, for instance, Ladewig imagines Odysseus not just adrift as he weathered his long voyage home, but “alone / and naked, swimming in the raging sea, / wondering how and why it had all come to pass.” The Greek original does not depict Odysseus as a particularly reflective man, but this, after all, comes 3,000-odd years later, and contemporary concerns have always been admissible in the great poem. Moreover, Ladewig’s shadings remain faithful to the spirit if not the letter of the Greek text, and each of the original’s 24 books is rendered or at least anticipated while he fills in a gap or two, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra’s pillow talk among the lacunae. Admirers of Homer’s immediacy and thick description will not be disappointed in Ladewig, who keeps the blood and guts flowing: “The spear / struck dead center on the shield of Ajax, / bouncing back into the thrower's face / . . . . / The ripping bronze cut through the tongue at root / and snapped the neck connecting spine to skull.” There are a few slips in word choice and diction (“when I first discovered love with sweet / Penelope, and even way before”), but overall Ladewig works at a competent level. And, sagely, he leaves room for a sequel (“knowing very well that his adventures / were not quite all accomplished yet”), perhaps something that will pick up where Nikos Kazantzakis’s leaves off. A pleasing, readable—even singable—addition to Homerica.  As if not to be outdone: Tree Good "author of The Language of Poetry F... (Deseronto, ON) wrote:    By all the gods on Mount Olympus, I have never seen mythology presented so clearly! A poet is dictionary-defined as: a person of imaginative power and sense of beauty; one who presents a subject in a unique way. Marc Ladewig truly has the soul of a poet. My favorite lines, (and there are many) are: "The strands of god run deep in mortal man and in the stars and every blade of grass." Marc has a way of making the gods and their times come alive in a fascinating and memorable way.   This epic tale itself is a work of art, the pictures make it even easier to envision the story and the afterword is a wonderful reference tool as well. With the map, the family tree and the glossary of names and places, further study is certainly made much easier.     After reading this book, even those who are not poetically inclined will want to read more.         I cannot recommend this book highly enough!    Chris McGowan author of The Big God Network- Added His Voice:      With "Odysseus, the Epic Myth of the Hero," the California poet Marc Ladewig has undertaken a noble task: a contemporary retelling of the adventures of Odysseus (aka "Ulysses"). The ancient king of Ithaca's deeds were originally described by the Greek poet Homer in the 8th century B.C. in the epic poems "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey," which respectively depict the Trojan War and Odysseus's magical and harrowing journey home. The two works are still the most famous epic dramas of Western Civilization, their mythology permanently etched into our collective culture. We know the stories from the original Homer and from adaptations (such as Wolfgang Petersen's 2004 movie "Troy"), elaborate re-workings (James Joyce's "Ulysses" and Joel and Ethan Coen's "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" are examples), references in story and song (including Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulysses"), and innumerable renderings in painting and sculpture. Who has not heard of the Cyclops, Achilles' heel, the Lotus Eaters, the Sirens, or the Trojan horse? So, it is with a chill up the spine and a rush of nostalgia that one reads Ladewig's opening words: "Sing about that long lost man for me, dear Muse of epic song...." And we plunge into the Homeric reality of legendary warriors and fierce battles, helpful and wrathful gods, oracular and vengeful wives and mothers, seductive goddesses and terrifying creatures, and the homesick Odysseus and his ever faithful wife Penelope. In Ladewig's book, "some parts are translation, some parts are adventures upon which Homer is silent, some parts are pure invention." He is true to the spirit of the original, yet strives to fill in gaps and to interpret. Ladewig, of course, is not the only author to augment Homer's accounts: Euripides and Aeschylus wrote plays more than two thousand years ago that dealt with characters from the Trojan War. For the 21st century, it helps to have a new telling that bridges the gap between the ancient and modern worlds, and their manners of storytelling. Ladewig succeeds admirably in this. His language is fresh and modern, his poetry is vivid and sweeping, and he retains an epic tone, transporting us to faraway, mythic events that have informed our dreams and our strivings for three millennia. If you are into Greek Mythology this is not a book you will want to miss. If you would like to contact Mark you can at: Marc Ladewig 927 Sheffield Street Cambria, California 93428 805-674-9239 mando45@yahoo.com


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Yvonne Mason, Published Author Bounty Hunter and Motovational Speaker Author of Stan's Story, A Touch of Love, Tangled Minds, Brilliant Insanity and soon to be released true crime Silent scream

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