Day Long “Iliad” Reading at Getty Museum, Malibu

A special event at the famous Getty Museum in Malibu, California, was held last Saturday and was organized by the International Greek Theatre, with main characters the “Readers of Homer.”
This special event, which proved once again that the poetry of Homer continues to travel around the world and fascinate crowded audiences, took place in the auditorium of the Getty Villa, alongside with the permanent display Stories of the Trojan War, which shows antiquities related to the Homeric epics.
The day-long reading of the “Iliad” with the active participation of the audience was attended by 160 people from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. Among the participants there were distinguished scholars, artists and businessmen, students and representatives of many international communities of Los Angeles. The twenty-four rhapsodies were enriched by melodies coming from ancient Greek instruments played by the music ensemble “Lyravlos”.
The reading was based on the English translations of Stanley Lombardo.  Any reader was free to read the quote in his own way and language preference. Part of the Epic was pronounced in Japanese as a sign of solidarity to the suffering people of Japan and especially the dedicated “reader of Homer”, Professor M. Genung.
The evening ended with a reception and dishes from the era of Homer in the classic courtyard of the museum.