Ferdia Lennon’s smart debut novel, Glorious Exploits, will appeal to fans of Greek literature and ancient history. Set in 412 B.C., during the Peloponnesian War, after the defeat of the Athenians in Syracuse, this tragicomic novel examines the connection between art and survival.
I cannot express how amused I was by the voice of the canny narrator, Lampo, a witty young man who tries to take life as it comes and has a kind word for everyone. His silly jokes cheer up his intense friend, Gelon, who was deserted by his wife after their child died, and who is now committed to his beloved Greek literature, particularly to his favorite writer, Euripides.
Lampo’s humor helps his friend survive, but the truth is that they are unemployed potters and times are hard. The brilliant Gelon has planned a mad exploit: he has resolved to stage a production of Euripides’s Medea, employing the Athenian prisoners as actors.
Lampo’s cheerful dubiousness about the theater plan is typical of Lennon’s humor: Lampo’s comic doubt and the witty dialogue between Lampo and Gelon lighten up the grim reality of post-war culture. Gelon’s knowledge of Greek tragedy complements not only the sorrows he has endured but the trauma of the never-ending war. But not all Syracusans are capable of seeing the Athenians as human.
The truth is, sadists oversee the prisoners. Seven thousand Athenian prisoners-of-war are confined in an enormous quarry, the only place large enough in Syracuse to hold this population. And thousands of prisoners have already died of starvation and violence. It is a veritable holocaust.
Gelon and Lampo are decent men who detach themselves insofar as it is possible. They often go to the quarry “to feed the Athenians,” who, by now, alas, are walking skeletons. And they witness the beating and killing of numerous prisoners by an unbalanced man, Biton, who seeks vengeance for those he lost in the war. Lampo makes a few remarks about lightening up on the beatings, but that is as far as they can go. Life is tragic in Syracuse even for the victors, and ordinary blokes must ignore the horror to survive.
But Gelon and Lampo give a chance to the prisoners, who are eager to audition for the roles of Jason, Medea, and the chorus in return for food and drink. Some clearly know nothing of Euripides and are simply desperate for food; but one or two were professional actors in Athens, and others know the play by heart. One of them also volunteers that he knows Euripides’ last tragedy, Trojan Women, and that it has never been produced and breaks the conventions of tragedy. Gelon decides Medea and Trojan Women will be staged back-to-back, a double feature, a festival of tragedy.
Lennon has a gift for sharp, lively dialogue. Not only is Lampo loyal to Gelon, but he takes a chance on Paches, an Athenian prisoner who has just been badly beaten up by Biton. Lampa announced that Paches has green eyes like Jason’s. Gelon is skeptical.
“Green-eyed? What are you on about? Anyway, that poor bastard’s dying.”
“You’re a negative fucker, Gelon.” I put my arm around Paches. “Show him, Paches. Jason’s final speech, when he realizes his children are dead!”
The reader is thrilled as slowly, laboriously the play comes to life with money from private backers. But there are challenges and setbacks and who knows if the play will succeed? And there is the dark post-drama phase of the novel.
Ferdia Lennon makes the characters and plays come alive partly because of his familiarity with ancient history and Greek literature. He studied classics and history at University College Dublin before embarking on a master’s in fiction writing.
I found Glorious Exploits both funny and moving, suspenseful and chilling. The first half is pitch-perfect, though I thought the later exploits, after the play, were fascinating but a bit sentimental. In short, it is an endearing portrayal of the heroism of Lampo and Gelon. It also shows us what breaks men, what saves them.
As Lampo says of attempting to save the Athenians, “A few’s enough. A few’s everything.”