War and the Iliad Author:Simone Weil, Rachel Bespaloff, Hermann Broch, Mary McCarthy Simone Weil's essay on Homer is one of the uncompromising mystic moralist's most famous and powerful works a reading of Homer which is also a nightmare vision of war as a machine in which all humanity is lost. Since it first appeared in 1939, it has served as a manifesto of pacifism. Rachel Bespaloff's recently rediscovered essay on Homer... more » was written in the midst of World War II, partly in response to Weil. Bespaloff's account of Homer beautifully illuminates the complexities of his characters, with a focus on the existential drama of choice and a difficult awareness that at times, war is the only option. Bespaloff's essay is here presented for the first time together with Weil's, as it was originally meant to be. These two works offer a provocative demonstration of the link between great literature, philosophy, and human life and death.« less