Books by Homer

Book SynopsisHomer''s Iliad is one of the foundational texts of Western Civilization. The timelessness of its story, of men battling fate amidst the horrors of war, still stirs the imaginations of readers year after year. What is offered here is the first translation by someone who is both an eminent scholar and published poet. Based on his thorough familiarity with Homeric language, Powell''s free verse translation preserves the clarity and simplicity of the original, while recreating the original feel and sound of the oral-formulaic style. By avoiding the stylistic formality of earlier translations, and the colloquial and sometimes exaggerated effects of recent attempts, he deftly captures and conveys the most essential truths of this vital text. Helpfully included in this edition are a detailed introduction, illustrations, maps, and notes. Modern and pleasing to the ear while accurately reflecting the meaning of the Greek, Powell steers a middle path between the most well-known translations and Trade Reviewcomprehensive and authoritative ... user friendly ... This generous scholarly gift will be joined by Powell's forthcoming Odyssey (2014) ... Highly recommended. * R. Cormier, CHOICE *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; List of Maps ; List of Figures ; Preface ; Introduction ; Acknowledgments ; About the Translator ; Maps ; Homeric Timeline ; Book 1: The Anger of Achilles ; Book 2: False Dream and the Catalog of Ships ; Book 3: A Duel to the Death ; Book 4: Trojan Treachery, Bitter War ; Book 5: The Glory of Diomedes ; Book 6: Hector and Andromache Say Goodbye ; Book 7: The Duel Between Hector and Ajax ; Book 8: Zeus Fulfills his Promise ; Book 9: The Embassy to Achilles ; Book 10: The Exploits of Dolon ; Book 11: The Glory of Agamemnon and The Wounding of the Captains ; Book 12: Attack on the Wall ; Book 13: The Battle at the Ships ; Book 14: Zeus Deceived ; Book 15: Counterattack ; Book 16: The Glory of Patroklos ; Book 17: Fight Over the Corpse of Patroklos ; Book 18: The Shield of Achilles ; Book 19: Agamemnon's Apology ; Book 20: The Dual Between Hector and Ajax ; Book 21: Fight with the River; Battle of the Gods ; Book 22: The Killing of Hector ; Book 23: The Funeral of Patroklos ; Book 24: The Ransom of Hector ; Bibliography ; Credits ; Pronouncing Glossary/Index

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Book Synopsis''War, the bringer of tears...''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 theTrade ReviewHomer's epic [is] unpredictably and achingly beautiful. * Nadia Rogers, Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisA lean, fleet-footed translation that recaptures Homer’s "nimble gallop" and brings an ancient epic to new life.Trade Review"The first version of Homer's groundbreaking work by a woman will change our understanding of it for ever... Emily Wilson’s crisp and musical version is a cultural landmark. Armed with a sharp, scholarly rigour, she has produced a translation that exposes centuries of masculinist readings of the poem." -- Charlotte Higgins, Poetry Book of the Day - The Guardian"Wilson’s approach has been to translate the text in a way that resonates with today’s politics. Her translation, spare and provocative, will engage a new generation of students." -- Times Literary Supplement"... Emily Wilson proves an appropriately beguiling female translator... This is certainly an Odyssey for our moment … [a] swift, unornamented text." -- The Spectator"The joy of Homer is precisely the generosity and suppleness of the material, the fact that it resists being read in a single way. That’s why a new kind of guide through his wild landscapes, across his wine-dark seas, is to be welcomed." -- The Guardian"Wilson’s Odyssey feels like a restoration of an old, familiar building that had over the years been encrusted with too much gilt. Wilson translates as though translation is a moral choice — you owe fidelity not to the author, nor to the protagonist, but to the truth behind the words and the times. She scrapes away at old encrusted layers, until she exposes what lies beneath." -- Financial Times"It is immensely satisfying to see The Odyssey in the hands of such a careful and creative scholar who can pore over the semantic nuances of Homer's Greek as well as those of her own English. Considerations of gender aside, perhaps Wilson's greatest achievement is to disprove the increasingly held view that versions of ancient texts require an established poet to be parachuted in, like a literary James Bond, to rescue their English lines from the prosaic. For a translation of The Odyssey that knows what it is talking about and sings as it speaks, this is the one to read." -- New Statesman"A masterpiece of translation—fluent, elegant, vigorous." -- Rowan Williams, University of Cambridge"As the first English translation of this ancient tale by a woman, this lively, fast-paced retelling of Homer’s epic is long overdue. Much as Homer did in his time, Wilson whisks the audience into a realm both familiar and fantastical. The world of Odysseus and his adventures take shape before the reader’s eyes, luminescent once more, in this engaging new translation." -- Justine McConnell, King’s College London" This will surely be the Odyssey of choice for a generation." -- Lorna Hardwick, The Open University"I am not quite sure why, but this instantly hot-wired me into tears." -- Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent"I think this is a really significant literary moment." -- Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"Friends, believe the hype. This translation is a marvel!... The sheer energy of the iambic pentameter is revelatory. Her word choices! The rhythm and the politics so delicious, so alive. And the man is devious and quick and fit to bursting with arrogance and cunning. He's perfect. It's sublime." -- Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers"The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson. One of the great narratives of all time. You think you know it ? Not until you read this one. Stunning translation/interpretation." -- Susan Hill"Now we have an excellent new translation of the epic by the British classicist Emily Wilson. Norton trumpets it as “the first English translation of the ‘Odyssey’ by a woman.”... But Wilson’s rendering is remarkable in other ways as well." -- The International New York Times"Emily Wilson wipes the dust of ages from Homer’s prose in her new translation of The Odyssey. Accessible and entertaining, she provides an elegant rendering of the classic." -- Peter Campbell, Favourite reads of 2017 - as chosen by scientists - The Guardian"There are many other [other than being the first female translation] stunning things about Wilson’s translation, from the five-beat lines to the straightforward speech, free from the elegant clunkiness that we usually see when scholars try to carry words over from one language to another. But one of them is certainly an awareness of her own daring." -- Eidolon"... Emily Wilson’s brilliant introduction to her new translation of The Odyssey shows the classical world as capable of feminist inflections." -- The Observer"... a monumental piece of work on her part..." -- Stig Abell - BBC Radio 4 Front Row"I thought this was just moving, it was musical, it was direct, it was straightforward […] anyone could read it and really, really enjoy it." -- Rosie Goldsmith - BBC Radio 4, Saturday Review"All the artistic choices work. I must admit when I heard we were reviewing The Odyssey, I thought ‘Oh no, it’s going to be wordy and dull’ […] but it wasn’t, it really felt fresh and alive and exciting." -- Sophie Hannah - BBC Radio 4, Saturday Review"... Emily Wilson's terrific new translation..." -- The i Paper"Poetry that reads like a thriller." -- R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series"The new Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey is brilliant and sharp and swift and funny and will repay the reader a thousand times over." -- Katherine Rundell"Wilson’s translation is a superb achievement and a striking departure from the tradition of Homeric translation into English... [She] has produced a wonderfully distinctive—and modern—version of the poem." -- London Evening Standard"The real reason why Emily Wilson’s version of this nearly three-millennia-old poem is so important is that it combines intellectual authority with addictive readability." -- Edith Hall - The Sunday Telegraph"Emily Wilson’s new translation of the Odyssey speaks of 'a complicated man' with an 'old story for our modern times'." -- The Spectator"Emily Wilson... is the first woman to translate Homer's entire epic into English, and she has produced something extraordinary. In her hands, a work believed to have been written at around the end of the eighth century BC is transformed into something that might have been written yesterday: vivid, exciting and utterly immersive... her accessible and fascinating introduction explains the poem's origins and reception, and such crucial concepts as 'guest-friendship' (xenia)." -- The Lady"Emily Wilson, […] whose translation of The Odyssey – the first translation by a woman, might I add – is currently destroying me, so it’s good. You can just tell from the way she writes and from her very ballsy interpretive translation that she’s got a wicked, daring mind, and a deeply poetic one." -- Hannah Epperson - Female First"... this new version of The Odyssey... is a fresh and worthwhile addition to the many existing translations, both for newcomers and veteran readers... Wilson offers a neat, accurate and lively verse translation..." -- Minerva"... a perceptive reading of The Odyssey... Readers who want to get a feeling for the poem will find Wilson’s translation full of insights..." -- London Review of Books

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Book SynopsisA lean, fleet-footed translation that recaptures Homer’s "nimble gallop" and brings an ancient epic to new life.

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Book Synopsis“A revelation. Never have I been so aware at once of the beauty of the poetry, the physicality of Homer’s world, and the moral ambiguity of those who inhabit it.” —Susan Chira, The New York Times Book Review, “New & Noteworthy"

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Book SynopsisOne of the oldest extant works of Western literature, this book features an epic poem of great warriors trapped between their own heroic pride and the arbitrary, often vicious decisions of fate and the gods.Trade Review"A fine translation, accurate and energetic." -- Thomas L. Cooksey Library Journal "Taken as a whole this is the best line-for-line translation of the poem I know." -- Colin Burrow London Review of Books "By "preserving the strangeness" of Homer, [Peter Green] gives the reader the fullest possible access to the ancient mind, into Homer's distant universe of wine-faced seas, god-like men and bronze skies." -- Kate Havard The Washington Free Beacon "Translating Homer into English is almost a genre of its own... Is there still a gap in the market? Peter Green's new translation shows that there is... his particular merit lies in achieving a clarity and fluidity that carries the reader (or indeed the declaimer) forward... a notable achievement." -- Richard Jenkyns TLS "Readers will learn a great deal about the Iliad from Green's detailed introduction and from comprehensive synopses of each book. A list summarizing the roles of main characters (Achilles to Zeus) and an index of names will benefit new readers as well as pros... Summing Up: Highly recommended." -- R. Cormier CHOICE "Green shows the wonderful things that can happen when Homeric rhythms are combined with a free-flowing and naturalistic English." ARGOTable of ContentsPreface Abbreviations Introduction THE ILIAD Synopsis Glossary Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Comparisons to [Emily] Wilson's recent translation are inevitable. . . . Both Wilson and Green capture the spirit of the Odyssey, but word-for-word, Green also captures a feel for the Homeric language, an experience closer to the original." * Library Journal *"Green's intelligent translation is . . . a superb choice." * The Weekly Standard *"Green brings to the poem the rhetorical directness and historical expertise which worked so well in his translation of The Iliad. Speeches in his version are vigorous and direct. " * London Review of Books *“The kind of absorption offered by Green’s translation seems particularly relevant to the reading of a poem from an alien culture and period. It contributes to the opening of the imagination that is surely one of the main pleasures of reading such a work. . . . I recommend this translation not only for its weighty introduction and notes but above all for the sensitivity of its expression.” * Manchester Review *Table of ContentsPrefaceAbbreviationsIntroductionTHE ODYSSEYSynopsisGlossarySelect Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe twenty-fourth book of the Iliad - the account of Priam's ransoming of Hector's body from Achilles - is one of the masterpieces of world literature, a work of interest to a far wider audience than scholars of ancient Greek. In this edition Colin Macleod tries to reach both scholars and Greekless readers alike. In his commentary he gives help to readers unfamiliar with the language of Homer and discusses problems of content and expression, never treating this book in isolation but drawing attention to Homer's artistry and thought in the context of the whole of the Iliad. In his introduction Mr Macleod examines Homer's notion of poetry, his style and language and the architecture and meaning of his work. He tries to show why Book XXIV is a proper conclusion to the Iliad. This is an edition for classical scholars, undergraduates and students in the upper forms of schools. The introduction and substantial parts of the commentary require no knowledge of Greek and should find readers amonTrade Review'[Macleod's] extraordinary success in catering for users at very different levels (including those who know no Greek) is characteristic of the whole work, and it is likely to exercise an influence far greater than its relatively modest appearance would, at first sight, suggest.' The Times Literary Supplement'[This book] must be the most rewarding scholarly commentary in English on Homer. While informed by much learning, articulated with great precision, it is essentially literary-critical … Macleod's interpretation is deeply humane, and … contains much to admire, including pointed comparisons with later literature … and some sensitive extended discussions … All in all, Macleod's volume is a pleasure to work with …' Greece and RomeTable of ContentsPreface; Introduction; Bibliographical note; Note on the text and apparatus; Commentary; Indexes to the commentary.

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Book SynopsisThe Odyssey, besides being one of the world's first and best adventure stories, is a poem of great subtlety, rich in irony and sophisticated characterisation. The poet's art is amply illustrated by books XIX and XX, in which Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, spends the night in his own palace and lays plans for his awesome revenge. Particularly memorable is the episode in which Penelope converses with her husband without suspecting his identity. In this edition, Richard Rutherford provides not only detailed comment on the action, characterisation and style of the books in question, but also, in an extensive introduction, a general survey of the Odyssey as a whole, laying special emphasis on the qualities of the second half of the poem. He also attempts to contribute to the literary criticism of the poem on a verbal level, by considering the poet's use of formulae, rhetorical technique and similes. This volume is intended for readers of the Odyssey at all stages. The commentary gives extTrade Review"This fine commentary, with text...is more than welcome, and is distinguished by a long introduction of ninety-five pages which is remarkable both for its quality and its completeness...This is an altogether admirable book, and one from which scholars at every level should benefit." Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsPreface; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The poem; 2. Odysseus; 3. Penelope; 4. Transmission and technique; 5. Metre, grammar and text; ODYSSEY XIX; ODYSSEY XX; Commentary; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisBook XXII recounts the climax of the Iliad: the fatal encounter between the main defender of Troy and the greatest warrior of the Greeks, which results in the death of Hector and Achilles' revenge for the death of his friend Patroclus. At the same time it adumbrates Achilles' own death and the fall of Troy. This edition will help students and scholars better appreciate this key part of the epic poem. The introduction summarises central debates in Homeric scholarship, such as the circumstances of composition and the literary interpretation of an oral poem, and offers synoptic discussions of the structure of the Iliad, the role of the narrator, similes and epithets. There is a separate section on language, which provides a compact list of the most frequent Homeric characteristics. The commentary offers up-to-date linguistic guidance, and elucidates narrative techniques, typical elements and central themes.Trade Review'De Jong's emphases are outlined in the preface. She says that she will focus on 'Homer's language …and his narrative style … In my own experience, she accomplishes a great deal more, bringing out meanings and connections that cast book 22 in an entirely fresh light and reveal this book's close connections to the Iliad as a whole. After reading this commentary, I felt I had experienced a thorough review and renewal of my Iliadic self.' Edith Foster, Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction; Text; Commentary.

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Book SynopsisThe first self-contained edition and commentary on Books XVII and XVIII of Homer's Odyssey, which contain an account of the moment when the disguised Odysseus penetrates his home after an absence of twenty years and first glimpses Penelope. Ideal for use with upper-level undergraduate students.Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction; Homer: Odyssey XVII; Homer: Odyssey XVIII; Commentary; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisHomer''s epic chronicle of the Greek hero Odysseus'' journey home from the Trojan War has inspired  writers from Virgil to James Joyce. Odysseus  survives storm and shipwreck, the cave of the Cyclops  and the isle of Circe, the lure of the Sirens'' song  and a trip to the Underworld, only to find his  most difficult challenge at home, where treacherous  suitors seek to steal his kingdom and his loyal  wife, Penelope. Favorite of the gods, Odysseus  embodies the energy, intellect, and resourcefulness  that were of highest value to the ancients and that  remain ideals in out time.In this  new verse translation, Allen  Mandelbaum--celebrated poet and translator of Virgil''s  Aeneid and Dante''s Divine Comedy  --realizes the power and beauty of the original  Greek verse and demonstrates why the epic tale of  

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Book SynopsisPresents the text of Chapman's translation of the "Odyssey" (1614-15), making only a small number of modifications to punctuation and wording where they might confuse the modern reader. This book also examines Chapman's "fine touch" in translating "the warm and human sense of comedy" in the "Odyssey".Trade Review"In Chapman's Whole Works of Homer ... English is spendthrift, inebriate with waste motion, at times precious and as yet uncertain of its coruscating force. It is also the language of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, charged with sensory, corporeal thrust. At moments, it is already exact in that manual, pragmatic vein which is the virtue of English. At others, it comes armed with lyric sorrow. Homer, as Chapman construes him ... makes the English language know itself and impels it to cast its lexical-grammatical net over a thronging prodigality of life."--George Steiner, Homer in English "Each age approaches Homer, and particularly the Odyssey, with a kind of astonishment ... Chapman was Shakespeare's contemporary... At times, noticing the epic sustainability of his verse, you get the feeling that he occupies a point on an imaginary line between Shakespeare and Milton..."--Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian

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Book SynopsisMartin Hammond was Head of Classics and Master in College at Eton College. He was also Headmaster of City of London School, and Tonbridge School, Kent. His acclaimed translation of the Iliad was published by Penguin Classics.Homer is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of ancient Greek epic poets. These epics representthe beginning of the Western canon, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.

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Book Synopsisaeo This is the first full--length study of the work of Fredric Jameson. aeo The book is wide ranging and comprehensive, offering a sustained discussion and analysis of all of Jamesona s major writings. aeo Jameson is one of the most important and provocative cultural critics writing today.Trade Review"The text is extremely well researched, written and organized, covering the entirety of Jameson's corpus. The study is also very lively and polemical, bringing in a wide range of critical literature to bear on Jameson's thought. There is no such comparable book on the market which provides such a comprehensive and engaging study." Douglas Kellner, University of Texas at Austin "A lucid and accessible guide to Jameson's work." Radical PhilosophyTable of ContentsAbbreviations. Introduction. Sartre: From Situation to History. Part I: The Dialectics of Form: . The Logic of Form. The Logic of Content. Metacommentary. . Part II: History: The Political Unconscious: . Marxism and Historicism. History as Political Unconscious. History as Narrative. History as Whose Narrative?. Part III: The Politics of Desire: . Ideologies of Pleasure. Ideologies of Desire. The Production of Desire. Versions of a Libidinal Apparatus. The Dialectic of Ideology and Utopia. Part IV: Postmodernism and Late Capitalism: . The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. The Periodization of Late Capitalism. Video Art and Postmodern Textuality. Realism - Modernism - Postmodernism. The Dialectic of Modernism and Postmodernism. Part V: The Spatial Logic of Late Capitalism: . The Reassertion of Space in Social Theory. The Phenomenology of Postmodernism. The Social Production of Space. The Semiotics of Space. The Spatio-Temporal Dialectic of Modernity and Postmodernity. Part VI: Marxism, Totality and the Politics of Difference: . The Postmodern Critique of Totality. Marxism and Totality. Mediation and Reification. The Third World: Identity and Difference. Conclusion. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisA stunning new translation of the classic tale of the fall of Troy from one of the world''s finest translators. If you enjoyed THE SONG OF ACHILLES, discover the original and the best...Man seduces another''s wife then kidnaps her. The husband and his brother get a gang together to steal her back and take revenge. The woman regrets being seduced and wants to escape, whilst the man''s entourage resent the position they have been placed in. Yet the battle lines have been drawn and there is no going back...Not the plot of the latest Hollywood thriller, but the basis of the ILIAD - the Greek classic that details the war between the Greeks and the Trojans after the kidnapping of Helen of Sparta. Based on the recent, superb, M.L. West edition of the Greek, this ILIAD is more readable and moving than any previous version. Thanks to the scholarship and poetic power of the highly acclaimed Stephen Mitchell, this new translation recreates the energy and simplicity, the speed, grace, and continual thrust and pull of the original, while the ILIAD''s ancient story bursts vividly into life. This edition also includes book 10 as an appendix, making it indispensible for students and lay readers alike.Trade ReviewThe verse is well-forged and clean-limbed, pulsing along in an unobtrusive pentameter...Mitchell has re-energised it for a new generation * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *A sturdy, muscular, and nuanced translation that will surely bring many new readers to this great work, "one of the monuments of our own magnificence", in Stephen Mitchell's happy formulation -- John BanvilleWell-forged and clean-limbed, the excised epithets will be a loss to some; to others a judicious cut. * THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *

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Book SynopsisJ.A. Harrison co-edited Homer: Iliad Books I and VI with R.H. Jordan (both published by Bloomsbury).R.H. Jordan was Head of Classics and Senior Vice Principal of the Methodist College Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK; and editor of Virgil: Aeneid, Books II and X (also published by Bloomsbury).Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword Introduction Select Bibliography Text with Facinq Notes Appendices 1 Some Basic Homeric Forms 2 Prepositional Usaqes 3 Formulae 4 Metre and Scansion Vocabulary Proper Names

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Book SynopsisR.H. Jordan is the editor of Virgil: Aeneid, Books II and X. J.A. Harrison co-edited Homer: Iliad Books I and VI with R.H. Jordan (both published by Bloomsbury).

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Book SynopsisGripping. . . . Lombardo''s achievement is all the more striking when you consider the difficulties of his task. . . . [He] manages to be respectful of Homer''s dire spirit while providing on nearly every page some wonderfully fresh refashioning of his Greek. The result is a vivid and disarmingly hardbitten reworking of a great classic. Daniel Mendelsohn, The New York Times Book ReviewTrade Review"It is hard to overstate the attractions of this translation. In a rhythm sinewy and flexible, with language that is precise, lyrical and fresh, Lombardo's Iliad pulses with all the power and luminosity of the Greek. He shows extraordinary sensitivity to the images and aural effects of the ancient poem. There are brilliant touches on every page. . . . Altogether this is as good as Homer gets in English." —Richard P. Martin, Princeton University"The most daring, rapid and colloquial translation of Homer's Iliad that I know. [Lombardo's] taut and punchy verse conveys admirably and accurately the excitement and desperation of the battle, the urgency of the commanders, the occasional flashes of humor, the passion of Homer's narrative and the vivid and subtle humanity of his characters." —Richard Janko, University College, London"Lombardo's Iliad should be required for every History of Civilization class in America!" —David R. Wilson, Brigham Young University"[R]emarkably true to the centrality of performance in Homer, the varied pacing and tone, the clarity, speed, narrative drive, and moments of breathtaking beauty." —Rachel Hadas, Rutgers University"Homer has been well served in recent years by good translators. But this reviewer predicts that the dominant translation for the 21st century will be this masterful version by Stanley Lombardo. . . . In her extremely useful Introduction, Murnaghan lucidly summarizes and makes available for the student and general reader the results of complex scholarship on Homer, and she offers sensitive guidance for reading the Iliad as a work that documents the triumph of the human spirit and not merely as a war poem." —Leon Golden, CHOICE"Accessible as Lombardo's translation is, it is rendered even more so by the superb Introduction by Sheila Murnaghan, which provides a rich but lucid discussion of the classical context of the epic. This handsome, superbly done Iliad will be enjoyed by everyone. Highly recommended." —T. F. Merrill, Library Journal

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Book SynopsisStanley Lombardo's translation of Homer's classic work aims to offer the distinctive speed and clarity of his other tranlations.Trade Review"The definitive English version of Homer for our time." —The Common Review: The Magazine of the Great Books Foundation"Lombardo weaves his cherished idioms into important patterns of repetition and transformation so familiar to the telling of the Odyssey. . . . Above all, such familiar phrases serve to remind us of the oral character of the original Odyssey, providing the reader with an uncanny immediacy and relevance." —Christina Zwarg, The Bryn Mawr Classical Review"Lombardo has the simple gift of summoning up a Homeric flavor wherever he turns. He may even blend contemporary colloquialisms with an antique epic grandeur, and the effect remains unimpaired. As Lombardo tells us, he recites and performs, he impersonates the poem as if he were the bard. We follow, we explore, plunging into 'medias res'. Homer arises before him as an encompassing reality. Lombardo moves at ease through this Homeric world, without artifice or rhetoric, attuning his verse to Homer's composition. Homer is here a vindication of poetry." —Paolo Vivante, McGill University"Lombardo has created a Homeric voice for his contemporaries: fresh, quick, and verbally engaging to the modern ear, as the original was to the ancient. His characters come alive as real people expressing real feelings with urgency and verve. I very much like the language and the pace of this version, and would welcome it for classroom use." —Joseph Russo, Haverford College"What could be finer / Than listening to a singer of tales / . . . with a voice like a god's?' So Odysseus on the bard Demodocus. And the singer, the oral poet, the 'aoidos', is what Lombardo embodies in his Homer. With a line and a language hammered out in public performance, he has made a verse that can move his audience to tears and even to laughter. At first glance, the simplicity startles—spare syntax, the highest proportion of short words in modern English poetry, colloquialism in the saddle, sudden and direct contact with the matter. But then the wonders of how he works become evident. So much was already to be seen/heard in Lombardo's version of the Iliad. But his Odyssey moves beyond, its verse widening its range to everything in between tears and laughter, able to present a storm, a battle, a chiding, a fable, a tale, and a whine with equal deftness. No version of the Odyssey is more immediate. No version shows better one of Homer's essentials: the oral poet at work. The persona is there, and it's real." —Douglass Parker, University of Texas at Austin"Ever since the publication of Stanley Lombardo's extraordinary translation of the Iliad, we have been waiting eagerly for his Odyssey, and it has been well worth the wait. Lombardo has done it again: he has rendered the Odyssey into English just as accurate, as perspicuous, and as gripping as that in his Iliad. Students will probably be unable to resist reading it in great long chunks. Lombardo's translation is enhanced by Sheila Murnaghan's characteristically lucid and accurate introduction, which will be a boon to teachers of undergraduates (or even high school students)." —John Kirby, Purdue University"It sheds new light, guiding us through a psychology of language we understand in order to show us the shadows of something quite alien to contemporary, secular experience. The language is honed, so that event, object and emotion are revealed by a tone of voice, or a compressed stanza that draws out an essential element without the accompanying poetic distortions of romance. This translation delivers the goods without dallying in over-amplified academic considerations. Instead, the words retain a kind of artful weight, with the emotional stress intact." —First Intensity Magazine

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Book SynopsisWhile preserving the basic narrative of the Iliad, this bare-bones abridgement highlights the epic's high poetic moments and essential mythological content, and will prove especially useful in surveys of world literature, and in Western civilization surveys.

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Book SynopsisBook 18 of the Iliad is an outstanding example of the range and power of Homeric epic. It describes the reaction of the hero Achilles to the death of his closest friend, and his decision to re-enter the conflict even though it means he will lose his own life. The book also includes the forging of the marvellous shield for the hero by the smith-god Hephaestus: the images on the shield are described by the poet in detail, and this description forms the archetypal ecphrasis, influential on many later writers. In an extensive introduction, R. B. Rutherford discusses the themes, style and legacy of the book. The commentary provides line-by-line guidance for readers at all levels, addressing linguistic detail and larger questions of interpretation. A substantial appendix considers the relation between Iliad 18 and the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, which has been prominent in much recent discussion.Trade Review'These essays … introduce students to the main themes and characters of the Iliad … efficient and suggestive.' Edith Foster, Exemplaria ClassicaTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Book 18 and the choice of Achilles; 2. Hector; 3. The gods; 4. The shield of Achilles; 5. Homeric language and style: some important features; 6. Metre, grammar, text; Iliad 18 (ΙΛΙΑΔΟΣ Σ); Commentary; Appendix: Gilgamesh and Homer.

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Book SynopsisDating from around the 8th century BC, The Iliad is a prime example of an epic narrative poem and is one of Western literature''s oldest works. It tells the story of the weeks during the Trojan war when King Agamemnon and the hero warrior Achilles were at loggerheads. With dramatic flashbacks to previous events during the war and, allusions to what is to come, The Iliad provides an almost complete overview of the events of the Trojan War. Written originally in Homeric Greek, it has been translated numerous times and into many different languages.This edition features a striking graphic cover design, bringing the classic work to new readers.

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Book SynopsisTrouble is brewing at the home of the hero Odysseus, who has spent years fighting in the Trojan Wars and is now captive of the beautiful nymph Calypso. Hordes of suitors to his wife have invaded the family house, and Odysseus'' son Telemachus sets out to find his father. Freed from the clutches of Calypso after the intervention of Jupiter, Ulysses begins his epic return journey. The timeless themes of the Odyssey - survival, courage, loyalty and hospitality - have resonated with readers through the ages, making it the most enduring classic in western civilization.This edition features a striking graphic cover design, bringing the classic work to new readers.

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Book SynopsisThe reputed author of both the Odyssey and its prequel, the Iliad, is the enigmatic Greek poet Homer. Although no biographical details have been discovered, he is believed to have been an historical figure whose poems were transmitted in song, following the Ancient Greek oral tradition.T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) was a British scholar and military officer, also known by the names T.E. Shaw and Lawrence of Arabia. He is best known for his legendary war activities in the Middle East during World War I and for his book on the conflict The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. He is also celebrated as one of the major letter writers of his generation and for his prose translation of the Odyssey.

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Book SynopsisHomer is reputed to be the author of both the Odyssey and its prequel, the Iliad. Although no biographical details have been discovered, he is believed to have been an historical figure whose poems were transmitted in song, following the Ancient Greek oral tradition.Alexander Pope was one of the greatest English poets of the 18th century. His translation of the Odyssey remains a classic interpretation of this masterpiece.George Davidson studied languages and linguistics at the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Strasbourg, and is a graduate of Edinburgh University. A former senior editor with Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, he is now a freelance compiler and editor of dictionaries and other reference books. He is an Elder of the Church of Scotland, and lives in Edinburgh.Emma Woolerton read Classics at the University of Cambridge, from which she graduated with her PhD in 2004. She now teaches Latin and Greek for several of the colleges of the university.

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Book SynopsisLittle 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.

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Book SynopsisWhen an essay is due and dreaded exams loom, this book offers students what they need to succeed. It provides chapter-by-chapter analysis, explanations of key themes, motifs and symbols, a review quiz, and essay topics. It is suitable for late-night studying and paper writing.

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Book SynopsisThis version of the Iliad is ideal for readings and performances.Trade ReviewThe energetic and rhythmic translation is quite faithful to the original. ChoiceTable of ContentsTranslator's PrefaceIntroduction, by Erwin CookTHE ILIADBook 1Book 2Book 3Book 4Book 5Book 6Book 7Book 8Book 9Book 10Book 11Book 12Book 13Book 14Book 15Book 16Book 17Book 18Book 19Book 20Book 21Book 22Book 23Book 24NotesBooks 1–12, by Hal Cardiv and Erwin CookBooks 13–24, by Natalie Trevino and Erwin CookNames in the Iliad

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Book SynopsisThe Odyssey reveals a universal order where gods intercede in the destinies of men, heroes are both deceitful and brave and a sea voyage becomes a test of human ingenuity and endurance. Following the fall of Troy, Odysseus sets sail for home.

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Book SynopsisSet during the siege of Troy, The Iliad is truly the ultimate adventure story. Suitable for ages 7-9, this high interest/low vocabulary retelling of The Iliad introduces young readers to Homer's epic tale. It is rewritten for third and fourth graders who can't quite tackle the original and older children at lower reading levels.

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Book SynopsisTen years have passed since the fall of Troy. The surviving Greek warriors who destroyed that city have returned home. All except Odysseus, whose wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, await him.

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Book SynopsisTen years have passed since the fall of Troy. The surviving Greek warriors who destroyed that city have returned home.

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Book Synopsis''Muse, tell me of a man: a man of much resource, who was made to wander far and long, after he had sacked the sacred city of Troy. Many were the men whose lands he saw and came to know their thinking: many too the miseries at sea which he suffered in his heart, as he sought to win his own life and the safe return of his companions.'' Recounting the epic journey home of Odysseus from the Trojan War, The Odyssey - alongside its sister poem The Iliad - stands as the well-spring of Western Civilisation and culture, an inspiration to poets, writers and thinkers for thousands of years since. This authoritative prose translation by Martin Hammond brings Homer''s great poem of homecoming to life as Odysseus battles through such familiar dangers as the cave of the Cyclops, the call of the Sirens and his hostile reception back in his native land of Ithaca.Trade ReviewAn excellent version... it may well prove the translation for this and the next generation. * Sir Roger Tomkys, Anglo-Hellenic Review *Hammond’s admirable translation….is remarkably successful in combining accuracy with a lively and highly readable style * A.F.Garvie, Classical Review *Martin Hammond’s new version is clearly a labour of love and a wonderful achievement as it has none [of the faults of other versions] and although it is in prose, if read aloud the prose transforms itself into poetry. It is as close to the Greek as it is possible to get and keeps all the formulaic patterns so that the music of the original shines out and rings in the ear…..It is instilled with magic Mediterranean light…..I have now read it seven times and find I get more from each re-reading * William Cookson, AGENDA *Hammond's precise and highly readable translation embraces not only the immediate human appeal of the Odyssey but also much of what is alien to modern literary culture: 'modes of speech, insistent narrative sequencing, the wealth of formulaic repetition' ... [It] offers Anglophone readers a faithful and direct experience of the style and manner of Homer's great poem. * The Classical Review *Overall this is a highly professional production, to be seriously considered for textbook use in the classroom. * Journal of Classics Teaching *Hammond succeeds admirably in presenting a translation that is easy and enjoyable to read and faithful to Homer * D.M.Goldstein, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *This is a magnificent piece of work….I enjoyed reading [Hammond’s] Odyssey enormously. It is more years than I care to think since I read the work from end to end. Hammond’s translation moved me to do so within a day, and that is a tribute indeed. This is a first-class work which should give pleasure to both those who read Greek and those who do not – and deserves to attract many to read Homer for whom that is as yet a pleasure in store * Dr John Moore, Conference and Common Room *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction by Jasper Griffin Suggestions for further reading A note on the Greek text Book I: The Gods, Athene and Telemachos Book II: Telemachos and the Suitors Book III: Telemachos in Pylos Book IV: Telemachos in Sparta Book V: Odysseus and Kalypso Book VI: Nausikaa Book VII: Odysseus in Phaiacia Book VIII: Phaiacian Games and Song Book IX: The Cyclops Book X: Kirke Book XI: The Underworld Book XII: Skylla and Charybdis Book XIII: Return to Ithaka Book XIV: Odysseus and Eumaios Book XV: Telemachos Returns Book XVI: Odysseus and Telemachos Book XVII: Odysseus Comes to His House Book XVIII: Odysseus As Beggar Book XIX: Eurykleia Recognises Odysseus Book XX: Insults and Omens Book XXI: The Trial of the Bow Book XXII: The Suitors Killed Book XXIII: Odysseus and Penelope Book XXIV: The Underworld, Laertes, Peace Index

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Book SynopsisThis new edition of Homer’s epic poem is designed with the needs of undergraduate students in mind. The selections, totalling almost half the full work, include all the most famous and most frequently taught episodes. The edition features numerous explanatory footnotes, an illuminating introduction, a glossary of names (with a guide to pronunciation), maps, examples of scenes from the Odyssey depicted in ancient art, and a range of other background materials that help set Homer’s classic in its historical and literary context.Trade Review“This is a lovely translation—clear and accessible: it captures the flow of the Greek, it is accurate in handling subtle nuances of that language, and it gives the story a brisk and powerful pace. This significantly shortened edition conveys the essential elements of the story and should be especially welcome for some readers and classroom settings.” — Miles Beckwith, Iona College“Ian Johnston’s abridged version of his translation of Homer’s Odyssey is an accessible and highly convenient text for use on courses of many different kinds. Comprising forty per cent of the original poem, the text both captures the essential elements of the narrative and makes it manageable for courses with other texts. The introduction is both brief and mostly complete in its range, and is supported by an excellent glossary and collection of parallel literary texts.” — Murray McArthur, University of WaterlooTable of Contents Introduction The Gods Odysseus A Note on Poetic Form and on the Translation Map The Odyssey Book One: Athena Visits Ithaca Book Two: Telemachus Prepares for His Voyage Book Three: Telemachus Visits Nestor in Pylos Book Four: The Suitors Plan to Kill Telemachus Book Five: Odysseus Leaves Calypso's Island Book Six: Odysseus and Nausicaa Book Seven: Odysseus at the Court of Alcinous in Phaeacia Book Eight: Odysseus is Entertained in Phaeacia Book Nine: Ismarus, the Lotus Eaters, and the Cyclops Book Ten: Aeolus, the Laestrygonians, and Circe Book Eleven: Odysseus Meets the Shades of the Dead Book Twelve: The Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the Cattle of the Sun Book Thirteen: Odysseus Leaves Phaeacia and Reaches Ithaca Book Fourteen: Odysseus Meets Eumaeus Book Fifteen: Telemachus Returns to Ithaca Book Sixteen: Odysseus Reveals Himself to Telemachus Book Seventeen: Odysseus Goes to the Palace as a Beggar Book Eighteen: Odysseus and Irus the Beggar Book Nineteen: Eurycleia Recognizes Odysseus Book Twenty: Odysseus Prepares for his Revenge Book Twenty-One: The Contest with Odysseus's Bow Book Twenty-Two: The Killing of the Suitors Book Twenty-Three: Odysseus and Penelope Book Twenty-Four: Zeus and Athena End the Fighting In Context Literary Contexts from Xenophanes, Fragments (c. fifth century bce) from Pindar, Nemean 7 (c. fifth century bce) from Plato, The Republic (c. 380 bce) from Aristotle, Poetics (c. 335 bce) from Longinus?, On the Sublime (c. 1st century ce) from Demetrius?, On Style (c. 1st century ce) The Odyssey in Ancient Art Maps Glossary

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Book SynopsisThe classic tale of Odysseus's return home in a stunning new translation.THE ODYSSEY, which tells of Odysseus's long voyage home after the battle of Troy, is one of the defining masterpieces of Western literature.Populated by one-eyed man-eating giants, beautiful seductive goddesses, and lavishly hospitable kings and queens, it is an extraordinary work of the imagination, the original epic voyage into the unknown that has inspired other writing down through the ages - from ancient poems to modern fiction and films. With its consummately modern hero, full of guile and wit, THE ODYSSEY is perfectly suited to our times. Thanks to the scholarship and poetic power of the highly acclaimed Stephen Mitchell, this new translation recreates the energy and simplicity, the speed, the grace, and continual thrust and pull of the original, so that THE ODYSSEY's ancient story bursts vividly into new life.Trade ReviewStephen Mitchell is one of the great translators, and his version of the Odyssey is a masterpiece of clarity, directness and a kind of blunt musicality which catches perfectly the pitch of the true Homeric voice. -- John Banville, author of The SeaStephen Mitchell's faithful translation of the Odyssey has great vigor, and a plain eloquence that is quite free of pedantry. It does not plod. Its narrative drive is so compelling that the reader will find himself speaking the lines aloud, as I did. -- Richard Wilbur, former Poet Laureate of the United States and twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for PoetryThis latest incarnation of the Odyssey leaves no doubt that Stephen Mitchell has made a deep connection to the tale's spiritual power, which he has managed to express with propulsive cadence and in exquisite detail. The bard sings again, this time at the banquet of Mitchell's ardent labor. -- Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the United StatesYet again, one of today's gifted, knowing scholars and writers embraces one of the masterpieces of yore, and so doing offers us the Odyssey as a wise and stirring companion for our own personal voyage through time and life's many stirring, worrying, enabling moments. -- Robert ColesThis new translation is one of the best: clear and poetic without losing the essential kinetic energy of the first adventure tale. * THE CATHOLIC HERALD *Stephen Mitchell is one of the great translators, and his version of the Odyssey is a masterpiece of clarity, directness and a kind of blunt musicality which catches perfectly the pitch of the true Homeric voice. -- John Banville, author of The SeaStephen Mitchell's faithful translation of the Odyssey has great vigor, and a plain eloquence that is quite free of pedantry. It does not plod. Its narrative drive is so compelling that the reader will find himself speaking the lines aloud, as I did. -- Richard Wilbur, former Poet Laureate of the United States and twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for PoetryThis latest incarnation of the Odyssey leaves no doubt that Stephen Mitchell has made a deep connection to the tale's spiritual power, which he has managed to express with propulsive cadence and in exquisite detail. The bard sings again, this time at the banquet of Mitchell's ardent labor. -- Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the United StatesYet again, one of today's gifted, knowing scholars and writers embraces one of the masterpieces of yore, and so doing offers us the Odyssey as a wise and stirring companion for our own personal voyage through time and life's many stirring, worrying, enabling moments. -- Robert ColesThis new translation is one of the best: clear and poetic without losing the essential kinetic energy of the first adventure tale. * THE CATHOLIC HERALD *

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Book SynopsisRead this stunning translation of Homer's great war epic, the legendary tale of honour, love, loss and revenge during the fall of the city of Troy.High on Olympus, Zeus and the assembled deities look down on the world of men, to the city of Troy where a bitter and bloody war has dragged into its tenth year, and a quarrel rages between a legendary warrior and his commander. Greek ships decay, men languish, exhausted, and behind the walls of Troy a desperate people await the next turn of fate.This is the Iliad: an ancient story of enduring power; magnetic characters defined by stirring and momentous speeches; a panorama of human lives locked in a heroic struggle beneath a mischievous or indifferent heaven. Above all, this is a tale of the devastation, waste and pity of war.Caroline Alexander's virtuoso translation captures the rhythms and energy of Homer's original Greek while making the text as accessible as possible to a modern reader, accompanied by extensive extra material to provide a background to the poem.The result of 3,000 years of story-telling, Homer’s epic tale of the fall of Troy has resonated with every age and every human conflict: this is the Iliad at its most electrifying and vital.Trade ReviewVirtuoso * New York Review of Books *Caroline Alexander's Iliad is miraculous. It has the rhythms and even the lineation of the original Homeric text. Its language conveys the precise meaning of the Greek in a sinewy yet propulsive style that drives the reader inexorably forward. In my judgement, this new translation is far superior to the familiar and admired work of Lattimore, Fitzgerald and Fagles -- G.W. Bowersock, Institute for Advanced Study, PrincetonOf the many new translations of Homer’s poem that have come out in the past two or three years, perhaps the most highly readable is Caroline Alexander’s. Thought to be the first woman to have Englished the poem, Alexander embraces Matthew Arnold’s four essential Homeric qualities: rapidity, plainness of style, simplicity of ideas and nobility of manner, in lines that ebb and flow with the tide of battle. The book wears its learning lightly, the introduction pitching the Iliad as the ultimate anti-war poem. * Times Literary Supplement *The Homeric Iliad originates from a rich tradition of performing song. It was meant to be heard. True to the living word of the original Greek, Caroline Alexander’s new translation invites us to engage directly with this tradition. When I read her verses I can almost hear the music of Homeric performance. -- Professor Gregory Nagy, Professor of Classical Greek Literarture, Harvard UniversityCaroline Alexander has done admirably in rendering the meaning of the Homeric text faithfully and suitably dignified language. The format gives a genuine sense of reading a verse epic. Her line-numbers match the Greek, which will make this version convenient for use by college teachers and students -- Martin West, Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford

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Book SynopsisHomer''s Odyssey is the Ancient Greek tale of Odysseus and his eventful voyage home after the Trojan War. His many adventures on his 10-year journey are the subject of this famous prose translation by T.E. Lawrence, which was the first to be aimed at a general readership.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Arcturus Classics series brings together high-quality paperback editions of classics works, presented with contemporary graphic cover designs. Together they make a wonderful collection which is perfect for any home library.

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