Overdue Ep 738: Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

Released: January 19, 2026
Hosts: Craig & Andrew

Episode Overview

This episode delves into Glorious Exploits, the 2024 debut historical novel by Ferdia Lennon. Hosts Andrew and Craig take listeners on a deep dive into the fascinating true history and inventive storytelling behind the book, which is set in the aftermath of the Athenian defeat in Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War. The conversation covers themes of survival, friendship, the power of art in crisis, and the intersections of ancient and modern storytelling.

Main Discussion Topics

Setting and Historical Context

• The novel is set in 412 BCE, in Syracuse, Sicily, just after Athens’ catastrophic defeat in the Sicilian expedition — a turning point in the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.
• Thousands of captured Athenians are imprisoned in stone quarries, left to starve and die.
• Historical details come from ancient sources like Thucydides and Plutarch, though both have limitations (15:07–16:19).

Quote

"Put them in the quarry."
—(30:27 Andrew quoting the book’s depiction of Diocles’ decision)

The Author: Ferdia Lennon

• Irish-born, Paris-based, wrote Glorious Exploits over nearly seven years.
• Inspired by real events in the Peloponnesian War and struck by a Plutarch anecdote about Athenian captives surviving by reciting Euripides (13:03–15:07).
• Deliberately wrote the novel in a contemporary Dublin-inspired voice, rejecting the "pseudo-English" of many historical novels (18:44–20:18).

The Buddy Duo at the Center: Lampo & Gelon

• Lennon invents two everyday Syracusans: Lampo (the wiseacre, book’s narrator) and Gelon (visionary, slightly tragic partner).
• Their dynamic is modeled after classic comic duos: Beckett’s Vladimir and Estragon, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, "burton and ernie." (20:40–21:23)
• Their friendship is peppered with insecurity, codependence, and humor.

Plot Breakdown

Book’s Premise

• Lampo and Gelon, both down-and-out ex-potters, become obsessed with Athens’ cultural legacy, especially the plays of Euripides (34:47).
• Inspired by the legend that Athenians avoided execution by reciting Euripides, Gelon proposes mounting a production of Medea (and then Trojan Women) with Athenian POWs as actors, in the quarry.

Recruiting the Players

• The pair trawl the prison quarry for Athenian talent, braving dangers from brutal guards and local Syracusans who torment the captives (37:04–38:08).
• They gather an eclectic cast, including Paches—a traumatized POW—plus orphaned children for the chorus (41:09).

Production Obstacles & Community

• The production is both an artistic act and a dangerous political statement. Reactions in Syracuse range from indifference to hostility, but some like the elderly costumer Alecto are won over (59:04).
• The play becomes a lifeline for both captors and captives, offering fleeting dignity and purpose.

Escalation & Tragedy

• Tensions boil over when anti-Athenian violence is unleashed at the performance’s climax. A local brute (nicknamed "Bluto") massacres most of the Athenian actors as the curtain falls (63:04).
• The community only intervenes when “Bluto” harms a local, highlighting selective empathy (63:39).

Aftermath & Escape

• Gelon is devastated, blaming himself for the deaths; Lampo organizes a breakout, smuggling out survivors including Paches (65:59–67:22).
• The novel closes on a note of ambiguous hope as Paches later seeks out Euripides in Athens to thank him for the life-saving power of art (75:15–75:33).

Voice and Style

• The book’s language is modern, colloquial, and often comic, echoing Dublin slang, filled with vernacular banter and expletives (20:18).
• Lennon wanted his Greeks to sound real and messy, not like “they’ve stepped out of a Merchant Ivory production” (19:21).
• Voice compared to Anna Burns’ Milkman and classic Irish lyricism (20:18, 43:35).

Notable Example

"Directors without a producer are like a ship without a sail. The medium of wind to Endeavor's nautical being equivalent to coin."
—(43:35, Lampo as narrator)

Key Themes and Ideas

The Power and Limits of Art

• Central question: Can artistic expression offer redemption, hope, or even survival under oppression?
• The production is both a distraction (“our glorious exploits”) and an act of resistance, bridging victim and victor, master and slave.
• For Andrew:

"The effort is worth putting out there. Trying is better than not trying, and saving a little bit is better than not saving anything."
—(70:13 Andrew, summarizing the book’s ethos)

Modern Eyes on Ancient Worlds

• The hosts discuss the "Boss Baby Problem"—the idea that most ancient works survive due to quirks of taste and preservation, and we view “canonical” art through accidental modern lenses (44:29–47:06).
• Comparison to the survival of Euripides largely resting on the whims of later Byzantine scholars (49:14).

Friendship, Humanity & Survival

• The book emphasizes the meaning and limits of empathy: sometimes a community only recognizes suffering when it touches their own (63:39).
• The relationship between Lampo and Gelon is both profoundly moving and often comically insecure (33:39).

Memorable Quote

“…these Athenians are prisoners of war … there is not a lot of love lost between the two groups of people … the expectation seems to be mostly that they will just starve to death and get eaten by the rats that live down there in the quarry with them.”
—(37:04–38:02 Andrew)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Euripides Wordplay (Craig & Andrew, 6:26–6:41):

Andrew: "You need me to say it, don't you?"
Craig: "What was his name?"
Andrew: "Euripides–Euripides nuts."

• On the Quarry’s Origins

“Prominently features a quarry ... The author would go on kilometer walks around a park in Paris that was a disused quarry.”
—(7:13–7:34 Craig)

• On Accents in Historical Fiction

Lennon: “I was tired of ancient Greek or Roman characters sounding as if they've stepped out of a Merchant Ivory production … I … wanted to put it in my own vernacular.”
—(18:44–19:21; summarized)

• On the Humanity of the Prisoners

"Lampo and Gelon … trying to see the Athenians as, as people when the rest of Syracuse does not want to."
—(41:54 Andrew)

• Dramatic Climax

"He kills almost all of the Athenians involved in the production as Trojan Women is ending...The only thing that really stops this ... rampage is when Bluto smacks one of the kids ... that's when the people from Syracuse be like, okay, buddy."
—(63:04–63:39 Andrew)

• On the Book’s Mission Statement

“Those rats are the worst of everything under an indifferent sky...but the sound coming...that’s us giving it a go...decency and it's all we'll ever have to give”
—(69:18–70:10, read by Andrew)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:41 – Introductions and start of content
• 05:20 – Introduction to Ferdia Lennon and book’s conception
• 10:10 – Previous classics coverage and Peloponnesian War overview
• 13:03 – Plutarch anecdotes and origin of the “Euripides” survivors
• 18:44 – Vernacular style and intent
• 28:39 – Setting of the novel, main characters introduced
• 30:27 – Decision to imprison Athenians in the quarry
• 34:47 – Friendship dynamic, the idea to stage Medea
• 37:04 – Life and violence in the quarry; recruiting cast
• 59:04 – The costumer and community theatrical support
• 63:04 – Catastrophic end to the play, massacre of Athenians
• 65:59 – Rescue plot and aftermath
• 69:18 – Book’s “mission statement” excerpt
• 75:15–75:33 – Coda: Paches visits Euripides in Athens

Reviews & Meta-Discussion

• Guardian review calls it “clever” but wary of stories that flatter the power of art—gives credit for avoiding “blithe self-congratulation” (76:54).
• NYT review found it sometimes surface-level compared to the Greek tragedies it adapts (78:33).
• Goodreads: Some readers find the tone and pacing uneven—slow build, frenetic ending, but the voice and “funness” are widely praised (79:31–80:25).
• Hosts compare the book to novels/playwriting about art as survival: Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven and Athol Fugard’s The Island.

Tone & Engagement

• Language is accessible, often irreverent, smart but not stuffy.
• Hosts banter about art, ancient history, and pizza styles (“Detroit-style pizza being like Pizza Hut crust”—31:41).
• Throughout, Craig and Andrew keep the conversation light while tackling questions about history, art, and the purpose of stories.

Final Thoughts

Glorious Exploits is both riotously funny and deeply humane, raising questions about how art endures, what remains amidst destruction, and the value of even the smallest acts of decency. Lennon’s choice to use a modern Irish-inflected vernacular breathes new life into ancient history and invites readers to identify with its odd-couple heroes.

Closing Quote:

"Trying is better than not trying, and saving a little bit is better than not saving anything."
—(70:13 Andrew)

Recommendation:
If you enjoy smart, sharply voiced historical fiction, or stories about found families, outbreaks of meaning in dark times, and the messy, necessary work of art and friendship, this novel—and this episode—are worth your time.

Further Listening/Reading

• Episode 144, The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault (covering ancient Greek setting)
• Compare with Athol Fugard’s The Island and Mandel’s Station Eleven

Next week: Fun with Dick and Jane (early readers entering the public domain).