The Iliad (Everyman's Library)

Author(s): Homer (Translated by Robert Fitzgerald)

Classics

The greatest literary achievement of Greek civilization, now in a gorgeous new clothbound edition


The Iliad is the first and the greatest literary achievement of Greek civilization - an epic poem without rival in the literature of the world, and the cornerstone of Western culture. The story 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.


Product Information

'Since it was first published, Robert Fitzgerald's prizewinning translation of Homer's battle epic has become a classic in its own right: a standard against which all other versions of The Iliad are compared. Fitzgerald's work is accessible, ironic, faithful, written in a swift vernacular blank verse that makes Homer live as never before.' --Library Journal

Little is known about the poet Homer. Some say he lived c. 850 BCE; others that he lived earlier - around 1102 BCE. But he is considered to be the first and the greatest of the epic poets and in addition to The Iliad is also thought to be the author of The Odyssey. Plato's Republic describes his importance to the ancient Greeks, calling him "the first teacher" of tragedy and the leader of learning.


Robert Fitzgerald's versions of The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, and the Oedipus plays of Sophocles (with Dudley Fitts) are prized by scholars and general readers alike. An admired poet and teacher of writing, he died in 1988.


 

General Fields

  • : 9781857150605
  • : Everyman
  • : Everyman's Library
  • : 0.662
  • : February 1992
  • : 3.4 Centimeters X 12.8 Centimeters X 20.9 Centimeters
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Homer (Translated by Robert Fitzgerald)
  • : Hardback
  • : English
  • : 883/.01
  • : 594