THE ILIAD - Homer (translated by Barry B. Powell)

CLASSICS WEEK

Homer's The Iliad has been one of those books that I'd never read but always meant to 'get around to it.' When I saw this ARC for a new translation I thought it might spur me on, but even so it's been ten years! Finally, though, I devoted time to this reading and all I can say is ... really?

The translation by Barry B. Powell is fantastic.  It is very readable to a modern reader and the notes are extensive, often helping to understand some of the relationships, locations, or what weapons of war are being used. I will say that while it is helpful on the one hand, it also slows the reading down. There is so much to unpack in a classic like this.

But the story ... I can honestly say that I didn't realize that it was basically a very long poem/story about war, fighting, and killing. One man after another kills and/or dies and someone is anguished by this. And then there's Achilles .... What a jerk! He's like that bombastic starting quarterback from your high school football team.  He's a good athlete and he knows it, and he's ranked at the top of your class, and he lets you know.  He's the guy you want on your team, but you don't have to like him.

Achilles brags about how good he is and when he finally kills Hector, the hero for the Trojans, he just has to show off a little and drag the body around behind him to mutilate it as much as possible./  And when the body doesn't mutilate (because even the gods liked Hector), he carries it with him everywhere, even when he's at home and eating dinner.  After all, if he can't mutilate it he can at least prevent the Trojans from having the body for mourning and ceremonial letting go.

I'm glad I finally read this, and I'm really glad I read Powell's translation. The first few books in The Iliad set us up and are quite interesting, and the last four or five books is when it gets really interesting.  But the fifteen or so books in the middle just feel so long and repetitive (for this casual reader) that it's easy to see why The Iliad doesn't have quite the same strength as a story as does The Odyssey.

Looking for a good book? Barry B. Powell translates Homer's The Iliad and makes it about as easy to read a classic as anyone can. 

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

The Iliad

author: Homer

translator: Barry B. Powell

publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 9780199326105 

hardcover, 624 pages

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