Books like

Books like The Iliad

12 books with a reading profile close to The Iliad by Homer. Deep and thought-provoking; a demanding read.

1

Beowulf

by Unknown

Also deep · academic, dense

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem centered on a Geatish warrior who travels to Denmark to assist King Hrothgar.
2

The Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey Chaucer

Also deep and thought-provoking · academic, dense

Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem presents a fictional storytelling competition among thirty pilgrims traveling from London to the shrine of Thomas Becket.
3

Julius Caesar

by William Shakespeare

Also deep and thought-provoking · academic, dense

William Shakespeare’s tragedy centers on the assassination of the Roman dictator and the subsequent civil war.
4

Richard II

by William Shakespeare

Also deep and thought-provoking · dense, literary

King Richard II believes his authority originates from divine right, yet his erratic leadership and the seizure of John of Gaunt’s estate trigger a political crisis.
5

Obras completas

by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Also deep and thought-provoking · dense, literary

This 1841 collection compiles the literary output of Miguel de Cervantes, centering on the adventures of Alonso Quijano, a country gentleman who adopts the persona of Don Quixote.
6

Memorial do Convento

by José Saramago

Also deep and thought-provoking · dense, literary

In early eighteenth-century Portugal, King João V promises to build a convent in Mafra if his wife, Queen Maria Ana, gives him an heir.
7

Daniel Deronda

by George Eliot

Also deep and thought-provoking · dense, literary

George Eliot’s final novel follows two primary paths that eventually merge through the encounter of Gwendolen Harleth and Daniel Deronda.
8

Great Short Works of Herman Melville

by Herman Melville

Also deep and thought-provoking · dense, literary

This collection gathers Herman Melville's shorter fiction and poetry, focusing on the period after his major novels.
9

The Aeneid

by Virgil

Also deep and thought-provoking · dense, literary

Virgil’s epic poem follows Aeneas, a Trojan prince who escapes the ruins of Troy to establish a new lineage in Italy.
10

Civakacintamani

by Tiruttakkatevar

Also deep and thought-provoking · dense, literary

This ninth-century Tamil epic follows the life of Civakan, a prince born in a cremation ground after his father’s kingdom is stolen by the treacherous minister Kattiyankaran.
11

Bleak House

by Charles Dickens

Also deep and thought-provoking · dense, literary

In nineteenth-century London, the protracted legal battle of Jarndyce and Jarndyce drags through the Court of Chancery, eroding the inheritance and sanity of those caught in its wake.
12

The Epic of Gilgamesh

by Anonymous

Also deep · dense, literary

Gilgamesh, the ruler of Uruk, dominates his subjects until the gods create Enkidu, a feral man, to challenge him.

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