War and the Iliad

Weil's stunning lecture came on the eve of the Second World War, and Bespaloff's work, probably a response to Weil, was written in its midst. Although often read as pacifist manifestos, they are also brilliant pieces of literary and social criticism. Christopher Benfey (literature, Mount Holyoke) provides an introduction that sets these works in the poignant context of these women's lives, and novelist Hermann Broch provides commentary. Annotation 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)