Glorious Exploits: A Bold and Funny Debut Novel by Ferdia Lennon | Paperback

Discover a bold and funny debut novel that brings the ancient world roaring to life. Winner of multiple prestigious awards, including the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, 'Glorious Exploits' is a testament to the enduring power of art, love, and human resilience.

Set in ancient Sicily, the story follows Gelon, a visionary theatre lover, and Lampo, a jobless young man seeking distraction. Imprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse, defeated Athenians find solace in reciting lines from Greek tragedy, a spark ignited by Lampo and Gelon's offerings of wine and food. This audacious idea, born from a love of poetry despite hating the invaders, reveals the very best and worst of human nature.

• A Sunday Times Bestseller.
• Winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2024.
• Winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction 2024.
• Winner of the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award.
• Winner of the Premio Gregor von Rezzori.
• Shortlisted for multiple other prestigious awards, including the Nero Award for Debut Fiction and the Walter Scott Prize.
• Praised by The Guardian, The Independent, The Irish Times, The Financial Times, and The TLS as a Book of the Year.
• Features a compelling narrative exploring love, war, poetry, ambition, and triumph.
• Brings the ancient world vividly to life with a fierce, funny, and fast-paced style.

• Author: Ferdia Lennon
• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication Date: 23 January 2025
• Edition: 1st
• Language: English
• Format: Paperback
• Page Count: 288 pages
• Dimensions: 12.8 x 1.9 x 19.6 cm
• Weight: 204 g
• ISBN-10: 024199800X
• ISBN-13: 978-0241998007

Experience a truly original and brilliant debut that masterfully blends history, humor, and profound human insight. 'Glorious Exploits' is a delicious treat of a read that will captivate you from the first page.