The Iliad

Rating:
Summary: This is a good book.
Review: The Iliad of Homer was a good book but you have to be interested in reading it. It is very difficult to read, but what I did understand, I thought was very interesting, exciting, and educationial. The book has meaning and power. The hero went overseas to fight in a war and then struggles to make it make it back home to protect his throne and his family.The book is suspenseful and exciting and is a good book if you are into Greek mythology. Although the names and places are hard to pronounce, I give this book three stars for its brilliance.

Rating:
Summary: There aren't enough stars for this book.
Review: I thought "The Iliad" was just an action story,I'd read it in school, excerpted, but I had no idea how vivid the whole thing really is..every man a hero kills (and there are many) has a name, a country, a story. After slowing down to read these mini-bios it really hits you, what a tragic waste war is. This what the term "classic of Western Literature" was invented for.

Rating:
Summary: GET THIS IN AUDIO ONLY!
Review: Lets set a parameter first. The Iliad was designed to be part of an oral history. Slaves told it to Nobles, so anyone who reads it is not actually experiancing it in its original form. Okay? Okay. The Derek Jacobi and Fagles(sp?) team work on this project is inspired. Fagles translation bring all the power, glory, blood, and sinew of the piece to life. This is not some staid, collection of dried flowers, and dusty phrasing. This is passion, power and fury, wrapped in violence anger and blood. This is the Iliad. Derek Jacobi delivers with the depth and feeling that lets you know why his knighthood was long overdue. He knew when to thunder, and when to whisper. His descriptions of feasts had me eating lamb for weeks after listening, and his narratives of battles superceded any modern day action flick. Fagles Created and Jacobi delivered. If you want your children to love greek myths and history get this tape, sit them down in front of the stereo, and watch as Sir Jacobi's voice pours from the speakers, wraps them in a world of imagination and suspense, and carries them from the confines of our techie world of entertainment into the limitless horizons of their mind.

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: What follows is a slightly altered version of my review of Fagles' Odyssey, but it should still apply pretty well. Fagles' Iliad is what Homer (the man, the organization, the woman -- whatever you believe Homer WAS) certainly intended the Iliad to be. It is translated as poetry, and Fagles' experience in writing his own work and translating others' comes through here. Dactylic lines ('fast') pull you through the text at surprising speed, and spondaic lines ('slow') force you to slow down. The Greek comes shining through as never before, with more of its intricacies intact. For example, (even though this in the Odyssey, it is a good one) when a young Odysseus is described in the beginning of book 19, the phrase "a young boy on a mission" is given its own line. It DOES NOT have its own line in Greek, but it is, however, an enjambment (in which a word or short phrase "hangs over" in the following line for effect). This device might not have as much power in English, and might not strike the reader so heavily -- but it is meant to. We are meant to see a vignette of a young man, all alone and braving the world. Instead of mushing it in with another line, Fagles uses his poetic sense to make a whole line for the little "picture" of Odysseus. The liberties that Fagles DOES take with the text have a purpose, and a purpose that is achieved fully. Imagine this much attention being given to each line, and you might have an idea of why this is such a good translation. The second aspect of Fagles' translation that is truly excellent is his "ear" for Homer. The Iliad was made to be PERFORMED, and not READ. Read aloud any other translation and you will find it does not have the same clarity or energy. I sincerely hope that this translation will live on. Fagles captures the genius and richness of Homer better than any other translator I have read in English. A huge majority of people who dislike Homer say they do because he is "so boring." I can't believe how someone who picks this up and reads it seriously might be unable to appreciate the intricacy and beauty, the care and precision with which every line is translated, and with which it was originally written. Another classicist, Gregg Gibson, who also has a review on this page, has criticized Fagles for the exact matters in which I give him much praise. Let me leave this as a note: Homer was a poet, and Fagles is a poet. Homer was a performer, and so is Fagles. Meter (or -re, depending on your part of the world) is often sacrificed, but it is at the benefit of poetry, clarity, and readability. I, for one, feel that IMPLICIT meter is preserved. When I get to a furious battle scene with spears flying, the text FORCES my eyes along. When I get to a grave and somber part, I can't help but slow down. No other translation has done this for me. Oh, and he is currently translating a new version of the Aeneid. I am sure it will be excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Probably the best book I have ever read.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I prefered Fiztgerald's edition over Fagles' but they are both extremely good. I was supposed to read a novel that was over 20 years old for a book report for LA and I chose the Iliad. I have not regretted this decision and my teacher was surprised that a student would read such a famous yet ancient novel. Two thumbs up and a smile for an excellent translation.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: You just can't beat this book, except maybe with Shakespeare. I guess that's why its still poplular after a couple of thousand years. Very interesting to anybody that reads at all, this is the classic mythology. (A side note a little off topic: I think it is kind of silly that there is an "I am the author and I would like to comment on my book" button at the bottom of this page when we're reffering to a book by a guy that's been dead for quite some time. But I guess they have to have a system.)

Rating:
Summary: The most pleasure one can have reading a classic
Review: This translation by Fagler, in the hardback edition, is a must book for every library and a must read for everyone. The tranlation maintains the lyrical nature of the oral tradition and the vivid imagery of this tale of heroes, deception, intrigue, and violent battle. It is 514 pages of pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: Great translation; powerful and masterful recitation.
Review: I don't believe I've enjoyed a classic work as much as this one. Jacobi's skills are wonderous! Brings real life to a great work.

Rating:
Summary: Abridgement? Why didn't Penguin say so on the box ???
Review: Like some of the other readers offering reviews, I was disappointed to learn that this is an abridged version of such a great work. The fact that "abridged" appears nowhere on the box will makes me more cautious when buying Penguin audio books in the future.

Rating:
Summary: A Magnificent Iliad To Listen To
Review: The Jacobi oral rendition of Robert Fagles translation of Homer's Iliad is absolutely magnificent. I've spent many hours (6 cassettes worth) absolutely transfixed by this great brutal story in the car. Now I truly understand why Homer is lauded as one of the best storyteller's of all time. What is a hard struggle to read comes alive with Jacobi's superb performance. Bravo!