"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
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.)
Reading updates
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Started reading
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19 May, 2013:
Finished reading
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19 May, 2013:
Reviewed