The Iliad

I read Robert Fagles' translation of Homer's The Iliad for brain exercise since I read The Odyssey before I retired from teaching. The Iliad contained Homeric similes which you really should know about if you are a true literature reader. Homer did not incorporate these similes in The Odyssey which he wrote after The Iliad. While there are a lot of characters and gods in the book, however, there is a glossary in the back of the translation to help you fit them all together; and, of course, there is always Google to help you connect the relationships. I must admit I cheated a little by printing notes from Spark Notes to help me understand and remember what I was reading and some of the most important quotes so I could understand the importance of armor, burial, honor, and other Greek traditions we've lost memories of over time it enriched my reading experience. I talk to people who say, "It's too big and complicated to read!" I disagree. I am 64 years old and a retired English teacher and I understood this book. I would recommend The Iliad for 11th grade - Sophomore college years. Robert Fagles made The Iliad a truly accessible, entertaining, instructive read.

Reading Homer is essential for any study of the great western works. I chose this version since it was recommended as "the best modern English translation" from The Young Heretics podcast. This is -the- translation to experience The Iliad if you too are working your way through the great works. It truly is the best war story ever told, and boy does Fagles tell it! The translation is written in free verse (9-14 syllables per line, usually), which flows marvelously well as the drama of the Trojan War reaches its climax. If you have only experienced the tale through the movies and television then you may be surprised by how vital the pantheon is to the story, the religious adherence of all involved, and the fact that the Iliad mostly covers one week of fighting. The story itself is about the rage of Achilles, so it naturally starts with Achilles becoming enraged and ends when his rage is soothed - and no, that doesn't happen with his death. In addition to the translation, this edition also contains a 60-page introduction/commentary by Bernard Knox. The commentary alone is worth the price of the book! It contextualizes how The Iliad (probably) came to be, who Homer may be, and how scholars study the work from a variety of perspectives. He then describes the main themes of the book and contrasts the character traits of the leading heroes. Feel free to skip this section to avoid spoilers (though bear in mind that the story spoils itself quite frequently, plus it's very likely you know most of the major plot points already), or if you want a bias-free experience. I found that it enhanced my understanding of the story rather than directing it, but I'll let you be the judge of that! Keep in mind that the Alexander Pope translation is still highly regarded as the best. It was translated in the early 18th century and is even written in iambic pentameter with rhyming couplets! However, the language of that translation is archaic, akin to reading the King James Bible. It also has not benefitted from the last 300 years of classical scholarship. If this doesn't bother you then it is certainly the version you should read. But if you prefer a (still beautiful) translation into modern English then you will not be disappointed with Fagles.

Book is very good quality. Words are big enough to read and understand. Design of the book is very cool.

The introduction by Bernard Knox was helpful and intriguing to read. However, my reading of the poem did not exactly match that of Knox. First, when Hector has the upper hand in battle, he displays a level of rage and violence comparable to Achilles. Second, although the brutality of the war is unquestionable, Achilles' actions (and the entire premise of the war) are not necessarily outside the bounds of morality. Failing to clarify this, Knox seems surprised that a philosopher like Socrates compares himself with a murderer like Achilles at the time of his death. However, Knox overlooks that in Plato's Republic, Socrates challenges some of Homer's depiction of Achilles and calls him "a most moderate man."

The translation was easy to read, but it's still a book that needs to be read slowly to fully understand. Amazing to read a story that was already old for the ancient Greeks, and has so influenced the world.

A very beautiful cover! The slightly torn page edges really add to it as well

A pleasure to look at and hold, an absolute delight to read. A treasure to pass down to future generations.

A “Ilíada”, à exceção do Javista – autor de Gênesis, Êxodo e Números –, Dante e Shakespeare, é o escrito mais extraordinário produzido no Ocidente, e quem não lê grego antigo pode se valer muito bem de uma guirlanda de ótimos tradutores em inglês, incluindo Richmond Lattimore, Robert Fitzgerald e Robert Fagles. Lendo o épico, temos a impressão de que os deuses são uma conveniência do processo narrativo. Mas o poema raramente nos deixa esquecer que os homens morrem, enquanto os deuses vivem para sempre, contentes na contemplação do nosso sofrer. Zeus não é pai de ninguém; Zeus não nos salva. Conforme observa Richmond Lattimore, os olímpios de Homero são, antes de tudo, homens e mulheres imortais, não superiores à nós, humanos, e raramente se apresentam como paradigmas de sabedoria. Na verdade os deuses se parecem no poema mais com os humanos e os humanos mais com os deuses. Aquiles é máquina mortífera porque almeja a imortalidade de um deus, mas o seu pai humano intima a morte do herói. Assim, Aquiles destrói seres humanos dentro de uma guerra pessoal travado contra a própria morte, a exemplo de uma criança capaz de mutilar um filhote de gato já ferido. O épico em questão é a tragédia de Aquiles, ironicamente, pois ele garante a vitória, mas não consegue superar a amargura da constatação da própria mortalidade. Homero contempla a sujeição da força humana à força dos deuses e do destino; não são espíritos aprisionados na matéria, mas forças ou instintos que vivem, percebem e sentem. “Consideram-se um campo de batalha onde entram em conflito forças arbitrárias e poderes sinistros.” Aquiles e Heitor são figuras bastantes distintas, de vez que não conseguimos visualizar Aquiles inserido na vida cotidiana de alguma cidade, mas ambos glorificam a batalha. Amigo leitor, atente para uma detalhe importante: os guerreiros do épico eram fazendeiros antes da guerra começar; eles já se apropriavam de grãos e frutas como se fossem espólios, na luta com a natureza. Isso contribui para explicar por que a “Ilíada” não se detém a louvar a guerra, pois a realidade, em si, já é uma luta constante, em que nada de valor pode ser obtido sem que alguém ou algo seja pilhado ou arruinado. Assim, competir pela vitória era o ideal homérico. Boa leitura.

El libro es un clásico, nada que argumentar ahí. La edición se ve bella. El problema es que cómo usualmente pasa con libros grandes y Amazon, este termina por llegar dañado. Haré la devolución pero me molesta la falta de cuidado, hubo una época en que no sucedía esto.