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The Iliad Paperback – June 28, 1989

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Homer (Author)
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Homer (Author), Robert Fitzgerald (Translator)
4.4 out of 5 stars 808 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 592 pages
  • Publisher: Anchor; Reissue edition (July 1, 1975)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385059418
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385059411
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.2 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (808 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,897,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsTranslation's the Key
By Esquire on June 23, 2002
Format: Paperback
I won't try to give yet another summary of the Iliad's plot nor give my insignificant opinion on the importance of Homer to Western Culture. More important is to discuss this translation and the translation of Homer in general.
When it comes to classic works of poetry in translation, such as those of Homer, Vergil, Dante and others, the translation makes all the difference. The type of translation, whether in rhyming verse, blank verse, prose etc., whether it is a strict line by line or more liberal translation, whether the wording and idioms are old fashioned or modern, can play such a great role that one translation may be completely different than another. This fact is probably often overlooked and attributes to the neglect of these classics, since a bad or difficult translation makes the poem seem tedious or dull.
Since Chapman's first translation of Homer into English in 1611 there have been dozens of others. Chapman's translation remains a classic, though its heavy and elaborate rhyming Elizabethan style and old wording make it quite laborious to read today. The next great translation was that of the renowned Enlightenment poet Alexander Pope; his Iliad was published progressively between 1715 and 1720. Pope's translation is in rhyming verse with his heroic couplet and is eminently poetic. It is considered the greatest translation of Homer into English (Dr. Johnson called it "the noblest version of poetry which the world has ever seen") but it is not as plain and straightforward as Homer apparently is in the original. It is mostly for this reason that Pope's translation has been critized as being more the work of the poet Pope than the poet Homer.
Of the more recent verse translations a few are worth recommendation.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsNot the biggest fan of this translation...
By T. Bachman on October 2, 2005
Format: Paperback
Fortunately, Homer is so wonderful that even fairly imaginative renderings of the text, like Fagles', can't obscure his genius.

I guess I have a bit of a problem with Fagles' translation. When I read Homer, I want to read Homer, not Robert Fagles re-writing Homer. This version reminds me of the comment made to Alexander Pope after he published his version of "The Iliad" - "a pretty poem, Mr. Pope, but you must not call it Homer".

This translation is kind of a modern play on the Fitzgerald - something of an "artistic" version rendered into a kind of de rigeur semi-elliptical poetry-speak, relying on a reconfiguration of lines and sentences, replacement of Homer's own phrases, etc. If that's your bag, by all means get this.

But for me, the best translation out there is that which translates Homer as faithfully as possible consistent with comprehensible English. Fagles' cavalier handling of the source text eliminates this as the "best" translation for me.

Both the Loeb and Lattimore versions are very faithful, but I think some readers may find them fairly difficult, and then stop reading the book altogether, which would be a great shame since The Iliad is well worth reading even in the worst translation.

My two cents is that the translation out there which does the best job of combining fidelity to the original with readability is the Jones/Rieu put out by Penguin. It doesn't have the packaging of the Fagles nor the great essay by Bernard Knox in the front, but I think it does the best job at maintaining transparency, really letting Homer shine through. (But if you have the stomach for the Loeb, you could go hardcore and try that, too. But don't try this unless you're familiar with the entire story first...).Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsA readable Iliad in modern idiom
By Michael Wells Glueck on June 29, 2002
Format: Paperback
Robert Fagles's translation of Homer's Iliad is spiritually if not literally true to the original. Both versions repeat set speeches and descriptions in precisely the same words, and the translation exhibits a fairly regular rhythmic beat. But Homer's Greek was chanted, and the set passages were like refrains in which listeners could, if they chose, join in as a chorus. In English, the repetitions sometimes become tedious, especially when the same speech is given three times in two pages, as in the relay of Zeus's orders in Book II. Especially noteworthy is Bernard Knox's long and fascinating Introduction, a masterpiece of literary criticism and scholarship which conveys Homer's grim attitude toward war, the interplay of divine and human will, and the ancient concepts of honor, courage, and virility in the face of the stark finality of death. Knox also includes a succinct explanation of the quantitative, rather than accentual, basis of Greek (and Latin) verse. For easy readability, Fagles's translation is without rival. For elegance and poetry, however, I recommend Richmond Lattimore's older but still gripping and fluent translation.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA must-have translation
By Graham Henderson on February 28, 2002
Format: Paperback
I think I must have read every major translation of the Iliad by now. They all have something to recommend them. There are some to which I will never return. I think I would rate Robert Fagles translation as the best. All of which will afford some context when I say that Lombardo is a must read. Enough glowing things have been said here by other reviewers, so I will refrain from commenting over much on the translation per se.
What I will say is this. I SAW Book I of Lombardo's translation enacted on the stage in New York about a year and a half ago. If EVER one needed a reminder that the first auditors of this tale were listeners and not readers and that the Iliad was composed first and foremost FOR listeners, actually seeing Book I brought to life was it. It was magnificent. I had read Lombardo in preparation for the play. I LOVED it -- the immediacy of it, the currency, the urgency, the sheer page turning pace into which he rendered the Iliad. But actually seeing it? It is something I shall never forget. The audience was actually laughing outloud at certain points -- and we forget, don't we, that there is much humour in the Iliad? That laughter brought a sense of community. And it was actually possible, closing your eyes, to imagine yourself transported back in time, listening to a retelling of the Iliad -- so very, very long ago.
Traditionalists will no doubt have MAJOR problems with Lombardo. I consider myself to be reasonably traditional, but I fairly EMBRACED this translation. But I can imagine many will, like my father, run with horror from lines like:
"Now get this straight. I swear a formal oath:
.......Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 starsThis version was not the one we expected. We ...

This version was not the one we expected. We had to buy an additional book for my son's school work.

Published 2 hours ago by Ndejong74
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Exactly what I was looking for for my Humanities core class.

Published 8 hours ago by kat
4.0 out of 5 starstend to over-embellish the language and make it sound unnecessarily...

I can read Homer in original ancient greek and I found that R. Fagle's verse rendition is as close as it comes to the original. Read more

Published 1 day ago by Methaya Sirichit
5.0 out of 5 starsGood condition. The book comes with a 90 page ...

Good condition. The book comes with a 90 page introduction that explains the writing and themes in the book.

Published 25 days ago by Stacy Lizunova
1.0 out of 5 stars... notes are all about Robert Fagles' translations and how great they...

The notes are all about Robert Fagles' translations and how great they are. I agree; They are. Unfortunately, the Homer translations that I bought this for, are instead by Samuel... Read more

Published 26 days ago by dennis benjamin
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent translation

An excellent and easily readable version of the Iliad. I had a copy from anther author. I donated that one and kept this book instead.

Published 1 month ago by Nicholas M. Zallas
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat

Really great book

Published 1 month ago by Zachary
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Great book!

Published 1 month ago by secrament
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a great classic story that has been around for thousands of...

This is a great classic story that has been around for thousands of year. So far this translation of the original Iliad is the closest to Homer's actual way of talking. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Chandan Reddy
1.0 out of 5 starsI bought this because It kept showing up as the ...

I bought this because It kept showing up as the top result when I was searching the book with the translation I needed. It would show the author on the details.. of course.. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Ethan

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