The Iliad

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Summary: A Translation To Read Out Loud
Review: I own two copies of The Iliad. I own the Lattimore translation for study, and the Fagles translation for love of the story.

Translating ancient Greek is tough work. The author must constantly fight the battle to match the *meaning* of the original and the *feel* of the original in a language built for a very different culture and time.

Lattimore was invaluable when I was translating passages myself for college. He comes closest to writing ancient Greek in clear English. But when I want to lose myself in the story and action and feel myself swept away by the rage of Achilles, I reach for Fagles. He, more than any other translator I have read, carries the pace and force of the original Homeric Greek in an English that breathes life into the work without calling attention to itself.

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Summary: Of all the versions, the one I prefer!
Review: I've had to read The Iliad for a variety of classes. Literature, Greek culture, etc., etc. Each professor used a different translation of The Iliad. Now I am Deaf and English is as foreign a language as I want to get. I do not have the linquistic background, or the patience for that particular venue of study. However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Iliad this time around rather finding it as a task I had to get through. Maybe it is just being older, but I think a lot of it had to do with Fagles' fine translation of this classic. They continue to use this version in many classes at the University of Pittsburgh, and when I have friends who have to read the Iliad, I tell them to go look for this particular translation. How accurate Fagles is I will leave up to academia to argue over...all I know is that I got an A+ in the class thanks to him. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

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Summary: A Classical Greek Tale!
Review: The Iliad is a Greek epic novel written by Homer around 700 B.C. The novel describeS the burning of Troy.

The Iliad

The Iliad describes the end of the Trojan war. According to Homer, The son of the king captures Helen, the wife of a Greek king. You've got to read this classical tale to see how the Greeks built a large wooden trojan horse and burned Troy to a crisp. I learned this fascinating tale in 6th Grade. I loved it, and I also loved the second edition of the Iliad called the Odyssey which is another great novel!

------------------------AHMED MASHHOOD--------AGE 13-------------

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Summary: The next step towards immortality
Review: Almost everybody has been told in school that the Iliad is one of humanity's greatest poems. For those among us who do not understand ancient Greek, Fagles has finally shown us why. A couple of thousand years ago, people didn't have the vast possibilities of entertainment we have today. Fagles has produced such a brilliant translation of the Iliad that reading (or listening to) Homer's work proves a valuable alternative to watching TV or a video, going to a boxing match, bungee jumping, hiking the Grand Canyon, ... or whatever you fancy. Its poetic power sends chills down your spine and you intensely feel Achilles' rage or the sadness and sense of doom of the Trojans after Hector has been killed. From the opening word 'Rage' that launches the poem like a rocket, to that final sentence 'and so the Trojans buried Hector breaker of horses' which leaves you silent for a couple of minutes before you close the book, Fagles has put Homer's Iliad on its next step towards immortality.

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Summary: Perfect Translation
Review: Robert Fagles Iliad Translation is fantastic, I loved it so much that I have hardcover edition for permanent reading, and a softcover edition for mobility. I find myself re-reading chapters frequently.

Fagle's pacing and meter capture the oral tradition perfectly. I find myself reading the lines aloud, as an actor would (I haven't bought the audio version due to its abridged nature). The emotions come alive, whether it's Achilles rage or Hector's nobility. It gave a real sense of being there, as Homer would have read it.

I highly recommend purchasing this book.

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Summary: This is a fabulous translation of The Iliad
Review: I've read many ancient Greek documents. Most of which the translators have made dull and drab. Not this! Fagles does an excellent job at writing this masterpiece in a way that's poetic, yet easy to understand. I shocked my whole class and teachers by reading this so fast and understanding it so well. My dad enjoyed showing me off by reading a passage and having me tell about a MILLION things having to do with that scene and the characters in it. Despite the fact of being only 14, I have written 12 novels and hope for publication. Someday I wish to do a retelling of The Iliad, and Fagles is the best version of it I have read yet. It helped me understand the story more than I did before. If you wish to read Homer's epic poem, I'm telling you: Read Fagles's translation! It's a fantastic book with a fantastic writer. Hurrah for The Iliad!

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Summary: Great! but why abridge it?
Review: I have to second the previous reviewer - this is a wonderful, wonderful recording that suffers only from having been substantially abridged. I read Fagles' entire translation, then listened to the tapes, and then read the entire translation again. For the life of me, I can't figure out why he left out the parts that he did, or why he left out anything at all! I wish they had produced an unabridged version, with an abridged one for those who don't want to spend the extra time and money. It is just a terrible shame that we don't have the complete work on tape in this marvelous translation.

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Summary: Audio a triumph for Derek Jacobi
Review: Rarely has the Iliad come so alive as in the Fagles translation performed on audio by Derek Jacobi. The question of verse or prose is irrelevant as the powerful, vigorous poetry of this masterpiece comes across in this virtuoso performance. Jacobi, one of our finest living actors, gets the full value of Fagles' literate translation, the vivid figures of speech, the drama and action of Homer's epic. Just as Shakespeare, valuable as he is to read, gains so much in a stage performance, so does Homer in this audio version. Whether it's Patroclus raging in battle, Achilles whining in his camp, or Hera nagging Zeus, the events are as lively and immediate as any film or play. Another reviewer urged parents to have their children listen. Teachers too could do well simply to let Derek Jacobi take over their class for a few sessions--nothing could do more to instill an appreciation of the Iliad and its deathless themes of valor, pride, love and duty than to listen to this tape.

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Summary: the greatest piece of literature ever
Review: one can not imagine any way of improving this poem.
It is astonishing!

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Summary: The Iliad is a great action/ adventure story of all time.
Review: This book tells of the adventure of a lifetime. Many of the characters in this book are similar to my friends. For example the lotus eaters were relics of my friend ken. I highly reccommend this book to all readers.