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Review
a fine new translation (Edward Luttwak, London Review of Books )
Product Description
'War, the bringer of tears...' War, glory, despair, and mourning: for 2,700 years the Iliad has gripped listeners and readers with the story of Achilles' anger and Hector's death. This tragic episode during the siege of Troy, sparked by a quarrel between the leader of the Greek army and its mightiest warrior, Achilles, is played out between mortals and gods, with devastating human consequences. It is a story of many truths, speaking of awesome emotions, the quest for fame and revenge, the plight of women, and the lighthearted laughter of the gods. Above all, it confronts us with war in all its brutality - and with fleeting images of peace, which punctuate the poem as distant memories, startling comparisons, and doomed aspirations. The Iliad's extraordinary power testifies to the commitment of its many readers, who have turned to it in their own struggles to understand life and death. This elegant and compelling new translation is accompanied by a full introduction and notes that guide the reader in understanding the poem and the many different contexts in which it was performed and read.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I felt that this version was an accessible and enjoyable translation. I've tried to read other versions of the Iliad and found that went different editions try to focus on being word for word translations, it makes for a disjointed and alienated read, with poetic language which often grates after a few pages. However, this translation was far easier to read, with more focus on the meaning and feel of the original (at least I guess), thus being far more enjoyable to read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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3 reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
First-rate translation, although perhaps not for the first-time reader
9 Feb 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is concerned with the translation of Homer's Iliad by Anthony Verity: it is about the intellectual product, not some essentially irrelevant technical issue regarding the vending of the work.
Anthony Verity set out to faithfully translate the original text (as best we know it) of Homer's great poem. He clearly states that "It does not claim to be poetry: my aim has been to use a straightforward English register and to keep closely to the Greek, allowing Homer to speak for himself -- for example, in the use of repeated epithets and descriptions of recurrent scenes." Verity has carefully preserved the line numeration of the original, yielding a translation which matches the original line by line.
The first-time reader of the Iliad might prefer a more classically poetic rendition, such as those by Lattimore, Fitzgerald, or Fagles, or perhaps a faster moving translation such as those by Lombardo, Reck, and, now, Mitchell. But with the Verity translation, the reader can be assured that he/she is getting something that hews quite closely to the original in structure and language, with style and word choices not artificially forced by some particular metrical scheme or in pursuit of rapidity as an end in itself. And the reader may be assured that the translation is by no means dull and plodding.
Verity's choice to present his translation in what physically looks like poetic verse (in separate lines rather than a solid mass of prose) serves both to remind us of the Iliad's origin as a great poem as well as enhance its value as a classroom tool and reference, with lines of the original text readily located in Verity's rendition. And his retention of the characteristic epithets as vital to the poem's meaning (rather than dismissing them as merely technical expedients used to achieve a set meter, as some translators are prone to do)does much to preserve an authentic Homeric flavor.
This is not the finest English poetic rendition of Homer's great poem, but it may well be the best way for an Enflish language reader to best approach the real heart of the Iliad.
Anthony Verity set out to faithfully translate the original text (as best we know it) of Homer's great poem. He clearly states that "It does not claim to be poetry: my aim has been to use a straightforward English register and to keep closely to the Greek, allowing Homer to speak for himself -- for example, in the use of repeated epithets and descriptions of recurrent scenes." Verity has carefully preserved the line numeration of the original, yielding a translation which matches the original line by line.
The first-time reader of the Iliad might prefer a more classically poetic rendition, such as those by Lattimore, Fitzgerald, or Fagles, or perhaps a faster moving translation such as those by Lombardo, Reck, and, now, Mitchell. But with the Verity translation, the reader can be assured that he/she is getting something that hews quite closely to the original in structure and language, with style and word choices not artificially forced by some particular metrical scheme or in pursuit of rapidity as an end in itself. And the reader may be assured that the translation is by no means dull and plodding.
Verity's choice to present his translation in what physically looks like poetic verse (in separate lines rather than a solid mass of prose) serves both to remind us of the Iliad's origin as a great poem as well as enhance its value as a classroom tool and reference, with lines of the original text readily located in Verity's rendition. And his retention of the characteristic epithets as vital to the poem's meaning (rather than dismissing them as merely technical expedients used to achieve a set meter, as some translators are prone to do)does much to preserve an authentic Homeric flavor.
This is not the finest English poetic rendition of Homer's great poem, but it may well be the best way for an Enflish language reader to best approach the real heart of the Iliad.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
AN IMPORTANT NEW TRANSLATION
19 Mar 2012
Format:Hardcover
I just wanted to add a brief comment on a new translation that seems to be getting so little attention (compared to Stephen Mitchell's scandalous abridged adaptation).
Verity's stated aim is to get the reader as close as possible to the meaning of the original Greek. But unlike some other respectable "literal" translations (e.g. the Pevear's WAR AND PEACE), he actually produces a fluent and highly readable prose.
What makes this translation especially ingenious and important is that he manages to keep to the original lineation. This will be especially useful to students of the Greek. And it does give us a partial sense of the style of the original.
The notes and introduction reflect the latest in Homeric scholarship.
Highly recommended.
Verity's stated aim is to get the reader as close as possible to the meaning of the original Greek. But unlike some other respectable "literal" translations (e.g. the Pevear's WAR AND PEACE), he actually produces a fluent and highly readable prose.
What makes this translation especially ingenious and important is that he manages to keep to the original lineation. This will be especially useful to students of the Greek. And it does give us a partial sense of the style of the original.
The notes and introduction reflect the latest in Homeric scholarship.
Highly recommended.
4 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Kindle edition not properly formatted
14 Nov 2011
Format:Kindle Edition
Make sure you try out the sample before purchasing the Kindle edition. When changing the font size, pages do not resize properly. This results in lines of text not displaying when increasing font size.
You'd think that publishers would have learned how to do this by now. This is as bad as printing a paperbook with missing pages.
You'd think that publishers would have learned how to do this by now. This is as bad as printing a paperbook with missing pages.
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