The Iliad: Original Alexander Pope Translation

by Homer

It is one of the oldest works of literature currently in print and frequently read by modern audiences. The poem, like the Odyssey, is divided into 24 books and has 15,693 lines in its most frequently recognized version, written in dactylic hexameter. The poem is set at the close of the Trojan War, a ten-year siege of Troy by a coalition of Mycenaean Greek kingdoms, and portrays major events in the siege's last weeks. It shows a particularly heated argument between King Agamemnon and the legendary warrior Achilles. It is an essential component in the Epic Cycle. The Iliad is often recognized as the first important work of literature.

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Title Details
What is Unique in this Book?

Genres: Poetry, Classics

576 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2022

About the author

Homer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.

French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.

Reviews

[Some Random]

July, 2025. Montana.

Man, the Iliad sure is misogynistic. If this is a foundational work of western Mythos and culture, I suppose it's also a good reminder of both how negative those roots are and how far we've come.

I didn't enjoy this as much this time around as I expected. Poetry, especially epic poetry, seems always so dependent on what environment and head space I'm currently in.

Somebody should have taught all those ancient Greeks and their gods some conflict resolution skills, though then we wouldn't have this epic tale as part of our cultural zeitgeist.

The battle, and entire premise are actually kind of laughable if one considers it seriously. Like, in the middle of a massive war they mostly fight by calling each other names, one-on-one combat and running back to homebase to rest and reload. Most of the ending of the book deals with the funeral games for Patroclus. "Time out from the war guys, we need to have a chariot race."

On to the Aeneid and then the Odyssey I suppose.

[Željko Filipin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's amazing that something created almost 3000 years ago is still going strong.

[Mike Hattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A blind poet in a pre-literate society invents a new art form that inspires but is not surpassed by the greats of history. Legendary.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will be honest; the majority of the time I had no idea what was going on. But it was really pretty to listen to. I enjoyed the rhythm of the poetry. I also enjoyed the commentary by Pope.

[Lambchop]

Fantastic - read again soon 👍