SELECTIONS · HOMAGE TO HOMER
HOMAGE TO HOMER The custodian of fine writing traditions, Mont Blanc, recently unveiled a collection in honour of the legendary author and poet, Homer. We catch up with Franck Juhel, President of Montblanc MEIA, at the official regional launch of the collection to discuss the written word, writing instruments and the importance of collectors The Iliad and the Odyssey, two monumental epics that are among the most enduring legends known to the western world. They were instrumental in taking the oral verse to the then-new technique of alphabetic writing. Therefore, it is no surprise that they are widely regarded as the foundation of Western literature. Montblanc has chosen to celebrate the legendary poet Homer, responsible for Iliad and the Odyssey, through this year’s Writers Edition. The regional launch of the collection was hosted by Franck Juhel, President of Montblanc Middle East, India and Africa (MEIA) in Costa Navarino, southern Greece, the region where much of Homer’s Odyssey took place. The challenge with the Homer collection, Franck told Signé in an exclusive interview during the launch, was “to bring to life two books that are almost 700 pages. With all the stories you have in it, we had to identify the one that makes the most sense while at the same time being the most relevant and well known.” Then the theme has to be represented “in all the details that we can see, even the smallest one. Montblanc is not about glitter, but about all the non-obvious and small details, which when you put together makes the perfect writing instruments.” The Trojan horse, Odysseus’ famous stratagem, is reflected in the ‘Homage to Homer’ special edition’s silhouette evoking the
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head and body of the wooden horse in stylised form. The matte black precious resin of the cap and barrel of the writing instrument is paired with champagne-tone gold coated fittings to echo the Greek black-figure pottery often decorated with scenes from Homeric poetry. Achilles features prominently in the edition, with his legendary spear that no other hero fighting at Troy was willing to wield in Homer’s Iliad being the inspiration for the shape of the goldcoated clip, while Achilles’ helmet adorns the handcrafted gold nib as a fine engraving. Homer used the strict form of the hexameter consisting of six units, or ‘feet’ in his epics. This is referenced in the finely engraved Greek meander frieze on the champagne gold-coated fittings, with every sixth pattern repeat emphasised by a cube ornament. Crowned with the Montblanc emblem in precious resin, this edition is available as a Fountain Pen, Roller Ball and Ballpoint Pen. There is also a Mechanical Pencil which is only available as part of a set. The Homage to Homer collection also includes the Limited Edition 1581, a limitation number that references the year Homer’s Iliad was translated into English. The Trojan Horse with the same distinctive equine silhouette also features but evokes a second prominent colour of classical Greek pottery. The cap and barrel are
SIGNÉ · EDITION 31