THE ILIAD OF HOMER. Translated by Richmond Lattimore. Drawings by Leonard Baskin.

by Homer

Paperback

Published January 1, 1967

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

[Jean Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such was their burial of Hector, breaker of horses.

[Antony Vathy-Riakos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read translations and various renderings and retelling of Homer from early in my childhood. In university, I read the Greek original. Lattimore’s translation is the version favored by my fellow classics students as the best ‘pony’ for those who needed a bit of help with difficult passages in the original. His is the closest to the Greek of Homer as it was first written down in the tyranny of Pisistratus. Later, as a teacher of classics in translation, I had my students buy the Lattimore version. For those who prefer a prose rendition, I recommend Fagles.

For those who are unfamiliar with Homer (there must be a few out there), the story of the Iliad is not the story of the Trojan war but the account of a few weeks during the tenth year of the war, all centering around the anger of the warrior Achilles. His anger and the disasters that befall the Greeks due to his bad behavior lead to a proto-tragedy. An Ancient Greek would have admired Achilles’ prowess, but not his arrogance. Alexander the Great fancied himself as a new Achilles and he achieved fame, but his achievement caused the deaths and dislocations of hundreds of thousands of his contemporaries.

Homer’s dactyllic hexameter meter is melodious and wonderful, and considering that the poem was orally composed, he and his ancient audience must have been gifted with incredible powers of memory. Once Pisistratus ordered the transcription, the ‘oral tradition’ ended.

[Peter Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note my rating (3 stars) is based on my reading experience and should not be taken as a comment on the historical and cultural significance of the classic poem. The Iliad proved readable and engaging enough that I read it straight through instead of in intermittent installments. My interest in how the work was passed down through oral tradition before being transcribed prevented the long metaphors and frequent repetitions (techniques used by poets to remember and recite it) from being tedious.

I've long intended to read The Iliad and The Odessey because of their enduring influence on Western culture, especially the latter. I wanted to read the original source before taking in any of the many allegorical works or interpretations. (Christopher Nolen's announced filming of The Odessey finally spurred me to act.) For me, The Iliad was neither page-turner nor chore and I'm glad I read it.

Researching the different translations, I decided any of them would serve my purposes. I don't read much poetry and the discussions I found involved sophisticated, verse-level distinctions that would be lost on me. I'd be more discerning with the translation of a contemporary (1800-present) novel. I picked up this version The Iliad at a local used bookstore. For consistency sake, I've since purchased Lattimore's translation of The Odessey.

[Emma Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to read this for a college class. Not my first time reading the Iliad, but my first time reading the Lattimore translation particularly. Good translation. Not my favorite, but a good translation. I won't say much more because the Iliad is really one of those books you have to either read on your own with an open mind or in a group setting. I wish I could memorize the entire thing, that would be super fun. And chaotic. I just might try someday.

[Sefalopod · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful book love the way nature takes over the dead love the vultures lattimore pisses me off a bit though