Synopses & Reviews
The greatest literary achievement of Greek civilizationan epic poem without rival in world literature and a cornerstone of Western culture
The story of the Iliad centers on the critical events in the last year of the Trojan War, which lead to Achilles's killing of Hektor and determine the fate of Troy. But Homer's theme is not simply war or heroism. With compassion and humanity, he presents a universal and tragic view of the world, of human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death, set against a vast and largely unpitying divine background. The Iliad is the first of the great tragedies. This prose translation features an excellent introduction and textual commentary by the translator, Martin Hammond.
Synopsis
'The best modern prose translation of The Iliad' Robin Lane Fox, The Times
The first of the world's great tragedies, The Iliad centres on the pivotal four days towards the end of the ten-year war between the Greeks and the Trojans. In a series of dramatic set pieces, it follows the story of the humiliation of Achilleus at the hands of Agamemnon and his slaying of Hektor: a barbarous act with repercussions that ultimately determine the fate of Troy. The Iliad not only paints an intimate picture of individual experience, but also offers a universal perspective in which human loss and suffering are set against a vast and unpitying divine background where fickle, quarrelsome gods decide the fate of men.
Translated with an Introduction by Martin Hammond
Synopsis
Kingfisher Epics are action-packed retellings of classic tales and legends, with all the exhilaration and immediacy of their original versions. Magnificent black-and-white illustrations bring the heroic deeds depicted in these stories dramatically to life. These stories have enthralled readers for centuries, and Kingfisher Epics make them accessible to a new generation of children.
When Helen is kidnapped by Paris, a Trojan prince, the Greek army lays siege to Troy. The Iliad tells of the nine-year war for revenge, thrillingly recounting the fierce battles between both armies" greatest warriors. This dramatic retelling of Homer"s epic story retains all the excitement of the original.
About the Author
Homer was probably born around 725BC on the Coast of Asia Minor, now the coast of Turkey, but then really a part of Greece. Homer was the first Greek writer whose work survives.
He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the oral tradition. Homer and other bards of the time could recite, or chant, long epic poems. Both works attributed to Homer – the Iliad and the Odyssey – are over ten thousand lines long in the original. Homer must have had an amazing memory but was helped by the formulaic poetry style of the time.
In the Iliad Homer sang of death and glory, of a few days in the struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. Mortal men played out their fate under the gaze of the gods. The Odyssey is the original collection of tall traveller’s tales. Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War, encounters all kinds of marvels from one-eyed giants to witches and beautiful temptresses. His adventures are many and memorable before he gets back to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope.
We can never be certain that both these stories belonged to Homer. In fact ‘Homer’ may not be a real name but a kind of nickname meaning perhaps ‘the hostage’ or ‘the blind one’. Whatever the truth of their origin, the two stories, developed around three thousand years ago, may well still be read in three thousand years’ time.
Martin Hammond is headmaster of the Tonbridge School and has translated Homer’s Iliad for Penguin Classics.
Martin Hammond is headmaster of the Tonbridge School and has translated Homer’s Iliad for Penguin Classics.