Terence Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Terence Hawkins is an American
author
of numerous short stories
and The Rage of Achilles, a recounting of "The Iliad" in the form of a novel
.
, where many of his family were coal miners. He received his Bachelor's degree
in history from Yale University
, where he was publisher of the Yale Daily News
, and later received a law degree
from the University of Wisconsin. He returned to New Haven, Connecticut
, in 1985, where he practiced as a trial lawyer specializing in medical malpractice
.
of Homer
's "The Iliad", told in modern language but following the original characters and plot. It tells the story of Achilles
, a monstrous hero, by turns vain and selfish, cruel and noble; of Paris, weak and consumed by lust for his stolen bride; of Agamemnon
, driven nearly to insanity by the voices of the gods; and of Trojans
and Achaeans, the warrior
s and the peasant
s caught up in the conflict, their families torn apart by a decade-long war.
Hawkins said that he wanted to recreate the immediacy and realism of the classic for modern audiences, saying the novel is like Saving Private Ryan
meets The Iliad." Critics have said the novel "earns...a seat next to The Iliad as both companion and commentary."
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of numerous short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and The Rage of Achilles, a recounting of "The Iliad" in the form of a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
.
Background and Education
Terence Hawkins was born in 1956 in Uniontown, PennsylvaniaUniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census...
, where many of his family were coal miners. He received his Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in history from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he was publisher of the Yale Daily News
Yale Daily News
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...
, and later received a law degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
from the University of Wisconsin. He returned to New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, in 1985, where he practiced as a trial lawyer specializing in medical malpractice
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
.
The Rage of Achilles
Hawkins' first novel, The Rage of Achilles, is a novelizationNovelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's "The Iliad", told in modern language but following the original characters and plot. It tells the story of Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
, a monstrous hero, by turns vain and selfish, cruel and noble; of Paris, weak and consumed by lust for his stolen bride; of Agamemnon
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the father of Electra and Orestes. Mythical legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area...
, driven nearly to insanity by the voices of the gods; and of Trojans
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
and Achaeans, the warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s and the peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s caught up in the conflict, their families torn apart by a decade-long war.
Hawkins said that he wanted to recreate the immediacy and realism of the classic for modern audiences, saying the novel is like Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....
meets The Iliad." Critics have said the novel "earns...a seat next to The Iliad as both companion and commentary."
Short stories and other media
Since 1995, Terence Hawkins' work has appeared in Keyhole, Poor Mojo’s Almanac(k), Pindeldyboz, Eclectica, Megaera, and Ape Culture. Hawkins is a frequent contributor to the New Haven Register, and his work has appeared on Connecticut Public RadioConnecticut Public Radio
Additionally, WECS, Eastern Connecticut State University's campus station, simulcasts the network's feeds of Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Car Talk.-External links:*...
.