Product Description

The Iliad is the first and the greatest literary achievement of Greek civilisation - an epic poem without rival in the literature of the world, and the cornerstone of Western culture. The story of the Iliad centres on the critical events in the last year of the Trojan War, which lead to Achilleus' 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45712 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-26
• Original language: Greek
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

About the Author
The Greeks attributed both the Iliad and the Odyssey to a single poet whom they named Homer. Nothing is known of his life, though the main ancient tradition made him a native of the island of Chios in east Aegean. His date too is uncertain: most modern scholars place the composition of the Iliad in the second half of the eighth century BC. Martin Hammond has taught in England and in Greece. He has also translated the Odyssey. He is now Headmaster of Tonbridge School

Customer Reviews

Review of Martin Hammond's translation of the Iliad
This is specifically a review of Martin Hammond's translation of the Iliad (I've noticed that reviews for different editions often appear lumped together). This is by far the best translation of the Iliad I have ever encountered and it led me to finally read the Iliad from beginning to end without skipping bits or skimming. It is a modern prose translation but is also extremely faithful to the meaning of the original Greek (since the translator is not forced to try to turn his translation into verse). I simply cannot recommend it enough. Another touch that I like is that Hammond has given the different characters names that are far closer to the original Greek (e.g. Achilleus, Aias, Patroklos, Hektor).

A very important piece of literature.
The Iliad of Homer focuses on the actions of the hero Achilleus and their consequences. Homer tells the story of the Trojan War, not only the battles, but also looking at the misery of war, fate and the role of the gods. His use of formulae enforce certain ideas upon his audience, Homer's descriptions of death often include the same formulaic phrase such as "his soul sank down to Hades" this is used to symbolise the death of not only the person in question, but the deaths of the many victims of war, all become equal in death. In this way, the epic is not only a war story, but a story of emotion and real life. It is also important to remember that Homer composed the poem to be recited rather than read, this can make the book seem long and perhaps even a little tedious to read at times, but perseverance is highly rewarding. The Iliad and Odyssey are perhaps two of the most important pieces of literature in existence, it is a pity that they are not more widely known and appreciated.

Blood gore and classic literature
I've just finished the Iliad. I had decided to read it for the Trojan Horse and the Achilles Heel references - and neither are in the book. What I found instead was a fantastic, beautiful, gory and horrific account of a few weeks of the Greek/Trojan war, the fury of Achilles, the death of Hektor and the participation of the Gods.

If you want the best account of classic war, read this book. If you want horses - I'm told you should read Virgil instead.