‘Robert Fagles has given us an Iliad to read aloud: eloquent, rhythmical, and full of power’ — Jasper Griffin, Oxford University. One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer’s Iliad remains the oldest surviving work of Western literature and a poem of inexhaustible influence, inspiring writers from ancient Greek contemporaries to modernists such as T. S. Eliot. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, whose refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader Agamemnon shapes the darkest episode of the Trojan War. When the Trojan Hector kills Achilles’ close friend Patroclus, Achilles storms back into battle seeking revenge — knowing full well that doing so will seal his own early death. Woven throughout this tragic arc are powerfully moving accounts of battle’s ebb and flow, the domestic world within Troy’s besieged city of Ilium, and the quarrels among the Gods on Olympus as they contest the fate of mortals. Seven Greek cities claim the honour of being the birthplace of Homer (c. 8th–7th century BC), the poet to whom both the Iliad and the Odyssey are attributed — yet his identity, and even his existence, remains a complete mystery, with no reliable biographical information having survived. This edition is translated by Robert Fagles with an introduction and notes by Bernard Knox. ‘Plain and direct, noble, above all rapid … leading the reader forward with an irresistible flow. [Fagles’] version is imbued with humanity’ Oliver Taplin, The New York Times Book Review. ‘An astonishing performance’ Peter Levi. If you enjoyed The Iliad, you might like The Odyssey, also available in Penguin Classics.
ISBN 13: 9780140445923
Author: Homer
