The Iliad (Globe S.) (Narrativa74) (BCP Paperback S.)

by Homer

R. Lattimore (Translator)

"The finest translation of Homer ever made into the English language."--William Arrowsmith
"Certainly the best modern verse translation."--Gilbert Highet
"This magnificent translation of Homer's epic poem . . . will appeal to admirers of Homer and the classics, and the multitude who always wanted to read the great Iliad but never got around to doing so."--The American Book Collector
"Perhaps closer to Homer in every way than any other version made in English."--Peter Green, The New Republic
"The feat is decisive that it is reasonable to foresee a century or so in which nobody will try again to put the Iliad in English verse."--Robert Fitzgerald
"Each new generation is bound to produce new translations. [Lattimore] has done better with nobility, as well as with accuracy, than any other modern verse translator. In our age we do not often find a fine scholar who is also a genuine poet and who takes the greatest pains over the work of translation."--Hugh Lloyd-Jones, New York Review of Books
"Over the long haul Lattimore's translation is more powerful because its effects are more subtle."--Booklist
"Richmond Lattimore is a fine translator of poetry because he has a poetic voice of his own, authentic and unmistakable and yet capable of remarkable range of modulation. His translations make the English reader aware of the poetry."--Moses Hadas, The New York Times

• ISBN10: 0226469409
• ISBN13: 9780226469409
• Publish Date: 1 June 1961 (first published December 1906)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 20 December 2011
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: University of Chicago Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 520
• Language: English

Reviews

[viking2917]

What a great translation this is....

[jamiereadthis]

Well, I learned that, of course, Homer is all in the translation. I have a beautiful little copy of this and The Odyssey I bought for a quarter at a yard sale, and I was determined those were the copies I would read in all their beauty. (Circa 1950; the edition or translator isn’t even listed on Goodreads.) But, halfway through, I had to surrender mid-battle (of the unending battles) and defect to Robert Fagles.

It’s lyrical. It’s epic. I’m sure it comes even more alive with a better grasp of the context, but it was enough for now just to visit what I remembered from high school. (Well, high school age. I was homeschooled, so I can thank myself for not grueling through it back then and risking hating it forever. I still feel like I’m going to miss half these answers on Jeopardy, though.)

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Okay listen.

I know the story at the heart of this is a fascinating story. It’s a crossover tale with so many iconic moments and immortal characters. At its heart, I’m not dismissing the *story* behind The Iliad. I read this three time’s for school - once in high school and twice for college classes - and frankly, I guess I’ve had enough? I was excited when this popped out of my TBR Jar because it’s a classic and so different from what I’ve been reading. But it is SO TEDIOUS and SO SEXIST.

I’m impressed by the people who managed to carry such a story down through centuries in the oral tradition - the memorisation, especially of the banal details like who-was-in-which-ship, is impressive. But as a recreational read, I’m just not into it. The only time I can see myself revisiting this one again is if I wanted to write a retelling. And I think a Trojan War retelling would be AWESOME. But otherwise, I’m all set.

It’s not the story, it’s the writing.