Laura-Lee asked Werner A. Lind:

Here's my question, Baby Cake. I'm finally "biting the bullet" to read the Illiad by Homer but there are SO many translations to choose from and since WHO is doing the translating can make a significant difference... Whom do you recommend I go for this first time around? (And PLEASE don't recommend I learn Ancient Greek and read it in the original language. 🥺)

Werner A. Lind Hmmm! Laura-Lee, that's an excellent question, but I'm a poor person to answer it, because I've never read it in any translation, and don't have much knowledge of the variations in the translations that are out there. I do know that George Chapman's translation, published in parts beginning in 1598, is the oldest English translation and a classic in its own right, although William Cowper's 1791 blank-verse translation is considered by scholars to be more faithful to the Greek original.

The BU library has a thick reference book, The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation, which will have more information. Right now, I can't consult it, since I'm quarantining at home because of a bout of Covid. But I expect to return to work this Sunday; I'll look up Illiad translations then (and also check what translations the BU library has), and get back to you then. Stay tuned!

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