⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ A novel well worthy of our times, Glorious Exploits blinded me with its brilliance. Transported back to 412BC Syracuse where Athenian would-be-invaders, now prisoners of war, are kept in a quarry to die slowly of starvation. Enter Lampo and Gelon, potters by trade (out of work at the mo), and full of love for poetry written by Euripides. What, they wonder, would it mean if Athens was destroyed bringing an end to Euripides and his plays? Keen to keep the poetry of their enemy alive, they decide to put on a play of Medea and Trojan Women starring Athenian prisoners who are willing to trade their knowledge of these plays for food and wine.
On the face of things this is equal parts hilarity and cruelty, kindness and greed, genius and foolhardy. I laughed out loud, I shed a few tears. I was touched by the humanity of this Greek tragedy. I loved the casual Irish dialogue which worked surprisingly well in this context. A truly inspired novel that speaks to the heart of what it means to be human, I look forward to many more novels by this ingeniously talented writer.
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