"Homer" is generally known to be the author of The Iliad and The Odyssey (and possibly a few other works of Greek literature). According to legend, he was blind and made his living as a wandering, singing poet. Many believe that his blindness came later in his life and was used to conceal his illiteracy (Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature). It is believed that he was an Ionian greek born in eighth century BC (Books & Authors), somewhere near the coast of the Asia Minor (Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature). However, all of this information cannot be proven very well due to the lack of information about Homer.
"The scarcity of information regarding Homer and his relation to the works attributed to him has prompted much scholarly inquiry, bringing together experts from the fields of archaeology, linguistics, art and comparative literature" (Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature). Countless people have tried to find out the truth about Homer's identity. “[Scholars in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries] became embroiled in a lengthy debate—referred to as “the Homeric question”—about whether both poems were written by the same author” (Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature). Many scholars question whether Homer was actually the author of the works he is credited for, one of the most famous tellers of the poems, "or even just a name representing the tradition of singing the poems themselves" (Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature). Some have even speculated that The Odyssey was actually written by a Sicilian woman. (Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature).
A portrait of Homer.
Works
Cited:
"Homer." Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2009.
803-806. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
"Homer ." . Books & Authors. Gale. Gale Internal User 25 Mar 2014
http://bna.galegroup.com/bna/start.do?p=BNA&u=gale
"Homer." Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2009.
803-806. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
"Homer ." . Books & Authors. Gale. Gale Internal User 25 Mar 2014
http://bna.galegroup.com/bna/start.do?p=BNA&u=gale