More than almost any other book, Homer's Iliad is meant to be spoken aloud, so it's a natural fit for audiobooks. With his fluid translation of ancient Greek into the rhythms of contemporary conversation, Lombardo has rendered the story of the final stretch of the Trojan War and its plethora of jealous, vengeful gods and warriors feasting, battling and endlessly speechifying, more boldly modern and recognizable than the remote marble tableaux conjured by most other versions. Lombardo's expert reading makes the tale's convolutions easy to follow despite its length, and though he doesn't always reach for the extremes one might expect (Achilles' crashing rage sometimes sounds like mere irritation, and soldiers faced with certain death can seem less than petrified), his voice does become mesmerizing. The interruptions between books, in which Sarandon reads synopses of the next, are jarring and unnecessary, since the synopses are printed in a handy booklet, along with a useful map and list of names and places. Similarly, while the thrumming cello and percussion theme that opens and closes each book sets the tone nicely, the electronic chords that sometimes accompany dreams, deaths or appearances of the gods are rather off-putting. Such quibbles notwithstanding, Lombardo's Iliad both sings to 21st century ears and holds true to Homer's original vision; the blind bard would be proud. Lombardo has also translated and narrated Homer's Odyssey for Parmenides.
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Great poetry is best heard, not just read, and these two CD sets of Homer’s epic works are exemplars of the spoken word. Stanley Lombardo, professor of classics at the University of Kansas, is among the leading scholars of Homer, and here reads his own translation of the
Iliad and the
Odyssey in their entirety. Each recorded set includes a booklet with a map of Homer’s storied world; synopses of each book in the work, which are read by actress Susan Sarandon; and a glossary of personal and place names. Lombardo’s voice is wonderfully resonant and expressive—he is also a performer—and together with the original music, beautifully evokes the world of the Trojan War and Odysseus’ journey home. These productions from Parmenides Publishing, which specializes in Western philosophy, are a class act.
—Lori D. Kranz, THE BLOOMSBURY REVIEW (Nov/Dec 2006) Listeners expecting boring poetry will be astonished by translator and reader Lombardo’s reading of the classic poem in modern language and colloquial jargon. Susan Sarandon introduces each book of the poem. In a breathtaking performance, Lombardo retains the majesty and well-loved images of this ancient story of the Greeks battling the Trojans.
—Joyce Saricks, Listen-alikes: Revisiting the Classics, BOOKLIST REVIEW (Nov 2007)
Ably translated and expertly narrated by Stanley Lombardo, Iliad is a flawlessly recorded, complete and unabridged audio presentation of the timeless and classical Greek tale of the Trojan War ascribed to the blind poet Homer. Enhanced with an introduction read by Susan Sarandon, this audio book edition of the Iliad fully captures the epic nature of this story of an ancient tragedy. A "must" for school and community library audiobook collections, this Parmenides Audio 12 CD, 15 hour edition of the Iliad is enthusiastically recommended for all listeners searching for an engaging, entertaining, and memorable reading of the classic work. Also very highly recommended as translated by Stanley Lombardo and featuring equally insightful synopses from Susan Sarandon, is Homer's Odyssey.
—Midwest Book Review (Volume 16, Number 7; July 2006)
Having felt a newfound appetite for the Trojan War, I turned promptly to the recently recorded Iliad as translated by Stanley Lombardo (Parmenides Audio, 15 hours, 12 CDs, $42, www.parmenidesaudio.com). Susan Sarandon reads an introduction by Tom Palaima as well as synopses of each book, all of which are included in a useful little booklet. Lombardo, a veteran of many performances of his translation, delivers the poem himself in a well-modulated, walnutty voice that occasionally roars out dramatically to handle the more exuberant, even bumptious, passages. "I can't wait," Telamonian Ajax cries, "to wrap my hands/ Around a spear. I'm all pumped up and my feet/ Are flying beneath me. Bring on Hector."
Yes, these Greeks are real guys. Still, Lombardo's translation and delivery are not without pomp, but there again that pomp is not without a certain op-ed quality: "RAGE," Book One begins, " Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage,/ Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks/ incalculable pain." Incalculable pain? I found myself laughing at the outrageous pedestrianism of certain parts. ("Hector, you always lay into me in assembly.") On the other hand, the poem is the furthest thing from boring, and the drum and violin music that punctuates the episodes, composed by Vincent Castaldo, is splendid, evoking that which is ancient, menacing and tragic.
—Katherine A. Powers, The Washington Post (Sunday, November 12, 2006)
The definitive English version of Homer for our time.
—Common Review
The excellence of Lombardo's performance can't be lauded too much. There's no other translator of the world's greatest poetry that is also a world-class reader.
—Douglass Parker, University of Texas at Austin
Just the right degree of involvement or detachment as each circumstance in the reading calls for.
—William Levitan, Grand Valley State University
Remarkably true to the centrality of performance in Homer, the varied pacing and tone, the clarity, speed, narrative drive, and moments of breathtaking beauty.
—Rachel Hadas, Rutgers University
The quality of Stan's voice, which has an honest, unshowy American core, makes these performances sound fresh, intimate, and believable—very different from those theatricized oral interpretations that overplay the 'epic' note. Altogether this is as good as Homer gets in English.
—Richard P. Martin, Stanford University
