“They say Alexander the Great slept with 'The Iliad' beneath his pillow. Though I have never led an army, I am a wanderer. During the waning moon, I cradle Homer’s 'Odyssey' as if it were the sweet body of a woman.”

Roman Payne is a British journalist and author of the 20th century. He worked primarily as a war correspondent, covering conflicts in Europe and Asia, and later wrote memoirs that offered vivid, firsthand accounts of military life and the human cost of war. His writing often blended reportage with reflective insight, making complex events accessible to a broad audience.