Iliad

Rating:
Summary: My students love this translation, and you will, too
Review: I teach the Iliad in my Humanities course to honors twelfth graders. The first year I taught it, I used the Lattimore translation, and the Iliad was rated by the students as the worst book of the course. The following year I used Lombardo, and the Iliad suddenly became the favorite book; it has remained so in subsequent years. Why? Lombardo's Iliad cracks and sizzles with energy, humor, and humanity; it is accessible but does not sacrifice depth or dignity. It is in a modern, at times sassy idiom that nevertheless remains faithful to the spirit of Homer(as an ancient-Greek-reading colleague assures me). It begs to be read out loud; it is a teacher's dream. Fagles and Fitzgerald pale in comparison. This is definitely the translation to buy if you are reading the Iliad for the first time.

Additional useful features for both teachers and students are the following: the epic similes are italicized and set off from the main body of the poem for easy identification; at the back of the book there is a list of who kills whom and where (book and line) and an index of major speeches; a map of Asia Minor showing Troy and environs; and a glossary of names of both gods and humans, complete with pronunciation and a short identification.

Rating:
Summary: A must-have translation
Review: I think I must have read every major translation of the Iliad by now. They all have something to recommend them. There are some to which I will never return. I think I would rate Robert Fagles translation as the best. All of which will afford some context when I say that Lombardo is a must read. Enough glowing things have been said here by other reviewers, so I will refrain from commenting over much on the translation per se.

What I will say is this. I SAW Book I of Lombardo's translation enacted on the stage in New York about a year and a half ago. If EVER one needed a reminder that the first auditors of this tale were listeners and not readers and that the Iliad was composed first and foremost FOR listeners, actually seeing Book I brought to life was it. It was magnificent. I had read Lombardo in preparation for the play. I LOVED it -- the immediacy of it, the currency, the urgency, the sheer page turning pace into which he rendered the Iliad. But actually seeing it? It is something I shall never forget. The audience was actually laughing outloud at certain points -- and we forget, don't we, that there is much humour in the Iliad? That laughter brought a sense of community. And it was actually possible, closing your eyes, to imagine yourself transported back in time, listening to a retelling of the Iliad -- so very, very long ago.

Traditionalists will no doubt have MAJOR problems with Lombardo. I consider myself to be reasonably traditional, but I fairly EMBRACED this translation. But I can imagine many will, like my father, run with horror from lines like:

"Now get this straight. I swear a formal oath:
.......
When every last Greek desperately misses Achilles,
Your remorse won't do any good then,
When Hector the man-killer swats you down like flies.
And you will eat your heart out
Because you failed to honour the best Greek of all."

Or:

"I've never seen men like those, and never will,
........
The strongest men who ever lived on earth, the strongest,
And they fought with the strongest, with wild things
From the mountains, and beat the daylihts out of them.
I was their companion......"

But I LOVED it -- I found my heart pounding and my blood racing at points. Buy this book and settle down in your favorite chair for a great read -- oh, and buckle your seat-belt.

Rating:
Summary: A must-have translation
Review: I think I must have read every major translation of the Iliad by now. They all have something to recommend them. There are some to which I will never return. I think I would rate Robert Fagles translation as the best. All of which will afford some context when I say that Lombardo is a must read. Enough glowing things have been said here by other reviewers, so I will refrain from commenting over much on the translation per se.

What I will say is this. I SAW Book I of Lombardo's translation enacted on the stage in New York about a year and a half ago. If EVER one needed a reminder that the first auditors of this tale were listeners and not readers and that the Iliad was composed first and foremost FOR listeners, actually seeing Book I brought to life was it. It was magnificent. I had read Lombardo in preparation for the play. I LOVED it -- the immediacy of it, the currency, the urgency, the sheer page turning pace into which he rendered the Iliad. But actually seeing it? It is something I shall never forget. The audience was actually laughing outloud at certain points -- and we forget, don't we, that there is much humour in the Iliad? That laughter brought a sense of community. And it was actually possible, closing your eyes, to imagine yourself transported back in time, listening to a retelling of the Iliad -- so very, very long ago.

Traditionalists will no doubt have MAJOR problems with Lombardo. I consider myself to be reasonably traditional, but I fairly EMBRACED this translation. But I can imagine many will, like my father, run with horror from lines like:

"Now get this straight. I swear a formal oath:
.......
When every last Greek desperately misses Achilles,
Your remorse won't do any good then,
When Hector the man-killer swats you down like flies.
And you will eat your heart out
Because you failed to honour the best Greek of all."

Or:

"I've never seen men like those, and never will,
........
The strongest men who ever lived on earth, the strongest,
And they fought with the strongest, with wild things
From the mountains, and beat the daylihts out of them.
I was their companion......"

But I LOVED it -- I found my heart pounding and my blood racing at points. Buy this book and settle down in your favorite chair for a great read -- oh, and buckle your seat-belt.

Rating:
Summary: An essential translation
Review: If this is your first time reading the Iliad, you probably want to go with a more traditional translation- there is no shortage of excellent ones out there. However, if you've read a translation before and either 1) loved it and want more or 2) found it dry, something you were forced to read in high school, this translation is essential. This Iliad has a more contemporary slant, a more staccato diction, and a more easily grapsed layout. Purists shouldn't worry too much- the essence of Homer's mastpiece remains intact, going so far as to helpfully break off his extended similies into italicized passages in between the narrative. In my opinion, this does much to add to the vitality of the work, and while the characters occasionally dip into questionable vocabulary (the phrasings and rare profanity), it injects some energy into the proceedings. Not that they need any- this is The Book for anyone interested in building a knowledge of conflict in human history, and has no shortage of graphic carnage in its content.

The Iliad has experienced a resurgence of late as more and more people realize the importance of seeking answers to present questions in the lessons of the past. I highly recommend this translation- an excellent work.

Rating:
Summary: The Modern Translation of Homer
Review: If you're a purist and like making things hard by reading word-for-word latin/english translations, go buy another book. This is Homer for the modern generation, a way to make Homer come alive. You can't buy a better translation.

Rating:
Summary: Amazingly readable
Review: Lombardo's translation is, without any doubt, the most readable and engrossing English-language version of the Iliad. The language is clear and contemporary, the metaphors and similes are accessible, and the imagery is striking. This translation will be enjoyed by adolescents and the elderly alike.

One detractor for people familiar with Homer, is that Lombardo has done away with some of the familiar renderings of the epithets. Gone, for example, are "swift-footed Achilles" and "rosey-fingered Dawn." Regardless, this is THE English-language Iliad.

Rating:
Summary: Homer for the crude and ignorant
Review: Renders Homer into modern language, profanity and all. The problem is that Homer would never, ever have used equivalent language in his time especially given the context in which this epic poem was read. This is more like "Homer Simpson" than Homer the Greek.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderfully poetic translation
Review: Stanley Lombardo has a unique ability to recreate the dynamic poetic style of Homer. Lombardo's translation is a properly balanced compromise between accuracy and readability. However, his translations are accurate in a way that most other translations are not as he presents the texts fresh and new to reader as if each reading is the first time the poem was performed orally. I would recommend Lombardo's translations to anyone experiencing Homer for the first time as well as anyone who wishes to reexperience the Homeric classics with fresh new energy.

Rating:
Summary: Lively and Vivid
Review: Stanley Lombardo has produced a lively and readable translation of Homer's work that's not afraid to use modern idiom and military jargon. I've read several translations (but not the original Greek unfortunately) and I'd recommend this to anybody interested in it whether it's his first experience of Homer or not. Setting the extended similes in italics and in their own stanzas adds to the vividness of the translation. I've liked Lombardo's Iliad enough to buy several of his other translations including the Odyssey. The hardback is full cloth and has a sewn binding; I only wish it came with a dust jacket.

Rating:
Summary: This translation makes the Iliad accessible
Review: That the Iliad is one of the great works of literature that should be read by any educated adult is uncontested. This translation is not intended to retain the awkward exact translations of epithets and expressions. Instead, it does what only the best translations do: it captures the spirit and the atmosphere of the original work without sacrificing accuracy or integrity. The translation renders the text in a fluid and clear language that makes it accessible and attractive to the high schooler and scholar alike. It is this fluidity and clarity that make the translation ideal for those who have found Homer hitherto unapproachable, and this is perhaps the most enjoyable to read of the translations now available. Having worked with Stanley Lombardo, I know first hand what a gifted poet, translator, and scholar he truly is. His translation of the Odyssey (also from Hackett) is due in February, and that promises to be as exceptional as his Iliad.