Author Bio: Homer

HOMER!!!

Statue of Homer outside the Bavarian State Library in Munich

Here are (for what it’s worth) the stats:
Born: Unknown
Died: Unknown
Lived: 8th Century, Greece

Bust of Homer at the British Museum

The Iliad is by far the oldest piece of literature that we will read on this list. So, obviously, not much is known about the author. This epic poem is attributed to Homer. He supposedly lived in the 8th century in Greece around the time of the Trojan War. However, the actuality of his existence is debatable.
He is generally described as a teacher in ancient Greece who was well versed in the oral tradition of the times. Back in early Greece, oral storytelling was the preferred way of passing down historical and mythological tales from teacher to students. Teachers, like Homer, often popularized their versions of specific tales as their own teachings. Homer was known for his vast knowledge of the Trojan War and most of the epic poems and essays regarding the subject have been popularly attributed to him.
That’s pretty much all of the “information” that’s out there about the epic poet. So, here’s a picture of Homer from The Simpsons pretending to be Homer from Greek literature. Enjoy.

Complete list of works attributed to Homer (from Wikepedia):
The Iliad
The Odyssey
The Little Iliad*
The Nostoi*
The Cypria*
The Epigoni*
(*attributed to Homer in antiquity, but have since been held in suspicion)