A Greek Triumph

Gulf Business travelled to Messinia in Greece to witness the unveiling of Montblanc’s epic new writing instrument, the Homer Writers Edition, which pays tribute to one of literature’s most prolific and mysterious figures

- Varun Godinho

WHEN I MEET Franck Juhel, president of Montblanc for the Middle East, Africa and India, on the second floor of the $12,000-a-night Villa Koroni at the Costa Navarino resort in Greece’s southern Messinia region, he doesn’t look one bit rushed.

This is a man who, tasked with overseeing 33 markets, knows much more than many of us ever will of multi-tasking and time management. He’s just made his way upstairs from a series of back-to back private meetings that morning with collectors from Dubai, Johannesburg, Riyadh, Chennai and Kuwait City, all of whom are there at the invitation of Montblanc to celebrate the launch of the Homer Writers Edition.

These are Montblanc’s most prolific fans – some third-generation collectors, others newly-minted collectors who have already amassed collections worth a small fortune.

The Writers Edition, which is now in its 27th year, is an ultra collectable line. Each year, Montblanc pays tribute to writers from Virginia Woolf and Franz Kafka to William Shakespeare and Leo Tolstoy. This year’s pen pays tribute to Greek literature legend Homer.

The matte black version of the Homage to Homer, which starts at Dhs3,065 ($834) is available as a fountain pen, rollerball and ballpoint and has a stylised version of the silhouette of a Trojan horse on its black resin body, while the nib has an engraving of Odysseus’ helmet. There are champagne gold trimmings on the body too and the clip is a nod to Achilles’ spear.