Synopses & Reviews
In this major new translation, classicist and bestselling author of
The Endurance and
The Bounty uses her superb narrative gifts to bring Homers timeless, enduring story of the devastation and exultation of war to life as never before.
Composed around 730 B.C, Homers Iliad recounts the dramatic events, over the course of a few days, in the war of the Achaeans, or Greeks, against the Trojans in their besieged city of Ilion. From the explosive confrontation between Achilles, the greatest warrior at Troy, and Agamemnon, the inept leader of the Greeks, to its tragic conclusion, The Iliad explores eternal themes about the nature of man and warfare. Is a warrior ever justified in challenging his commander? Must he sacrifice his life for another man's cause? Does a man betray his family by sacrificing his life for his country? Does winning glory compensate a warrior for death in battle?
Warrior and civilian, hero and coward, victor and vanquished, man and woman, youth and elder—The Iliad evokes in poignant, searing detail the fates of those ravaged by the Trojan War. Homers ancient tale of this famous Bronze Age conflict becomes a sublime and sweeping evocation of the devastation of war that resonates through the ages to our own time.
Hewing closely to the original Greek and epic voice, acclaimed classicist Caroline Alexander has created a riveting translation of Homers Iliad, told in driving, lyrical language devastating in its power.
Review
“Spirited and provocative . . . a nobly bold even rousing venture . . . it would be hard to find a faster, livelier, more compact introduction to such a great range of recent Iliadic explorations.” New York Times
Review
“Penetrating . . . reflecting her own skills [Alexander] provides her own translation of an entire chapter . . . a real bonus for the reader, comparing favorably with Lattimore and Fagles.” Boston Globe
Review
“A tour de force, Alexander . . . We can see from what [Alexander] has done that a fine translation may well be the most elegant and revealing form of commentary.” New York Review of Books
Synopsis
With her virtuoso translation, classicist and bestselling author Caroline Alexander brings to life Homer's timeless epic of the Trojan War
Composed around 730 B.C., Homer's Iliad recounts the events of a few momentous weeks in the protracted ten-year war between the invading Achaeans, or Greeks, and the Trojans in their besieged city of Ilion. From the explosive confrontation between Achilles, the greatest warrior at Troy, and Agamemnon, the inept leader of the Greeks, through to its tragic conclusion, The Iliad explores the abiding, blighting facts of war.
Soldier and civilian, victor and vanquished, hero and coward, men, women, young, old--The Iliad evokes in poignant, searing detail the fate of every life ravaged by the Trojan War. And, as told by Homer, this ancient tale of a particular Bronze Age conflict becomes a sublime and sweeping evocation of the destruction of war throughout the ages.
Carved close to the original Greek, acclaimed classicist Caroline Alexander's new translation is swift and lean, with the driving cadence of its source--a translation epic in scale and yet devastating in its precision and power.
About the Author
Caroline Alexander is the author of three books--One Dry Season: In the Footsteps of Mary Kingsley; The Way to Xanadu; and Battle's End: A Seminal Football Team Revisited--all published by Knopf. She lives in New Hampshire.