The Iliad

Homer

The greatest work of ancient literature, a glorious and poignant epic of immense rhythmic power...more

The greatest work of ancient literature, a glorious and poignant epic of immense rhythmic power which served as the Greeks' Bible for generations.    hide

Oh great God in Heaven, how I hated this book (and in some ways still do). If you are FORCED to...more

Oh great God in Heaven, how I hated this book (and in some ways still do). If you are FORCED to read this book for school, you will hate every minute of it. There were times that I wanted to just throw it outside, pour gasoline on it and lite it on fire just to watch it burn in all its "glory". Homer names EVERY single person in the Trojan and Achaean army, just about, and you're expected to remember them all. It's slightly ridiculous at times, though it IS an epic poem. However, having picked it up a few times since I last read it (and getting through about 75% of it), most of the fighting going on in the book, particularly the last bit, is rather entertaining and quite bloody as well.   hide

Hannah Arendt called this the "perfect poem of violence" and it is that. But it is achingly...more

Hannah Arendt called this the "perfect poem of violence" and it is that. But it is achingly beautiful in its brutality, and a magnigficent window into the archaeic Greek world, and presents us with Achilles, one of the greatest heroes of all time, and there is so much more than the violence. There is the God Ares embodied - is glorious studly beauty and horror, His some-time love Aphrodite , the God-filled and alive landscape of Greek culture in which humans assert our dignity both with and against the divine. When a book has lasted for a couple of thousand years, it should be read.   hide

The best translation of the Iliad around, by Richmond Lattimore, gracefully--yet...more

The best translation of the Iliad around, by Richmond Lattimore, gracefully--yet accurately--catches the nuances of the original text. This story is one of the foundations of Western literature, and one of the pillars of the society upon whose thought Western society in general is founded. This is a must read for any educated person, though it may be best to get a companion book or 'Cliff's Notes' (to read WITH the original, not INSTEAD OF) if you're not familiar with Greek mythology.   hide

Although for most Westerners, the Iliad is the paradigmatic epic the Greeks themselves recognized...more

Although for most Westerners, the Iliad is the paradigmatic epic the Greeks themselves recognized that it was also profoundly tragic. Hegel used it as his primary model for his description of the epic as the fictional account of a people's origin. But in fact, the Trojans are presented as sympathetically or more sympathetically than the Greeks (this is particularly true of Hector as opposed to Achilles). Although Achilles may be the hero of the epic, Hector is the hero of the lyrical tragedy that Homer tells alongside it.   hide