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warriorpickle's review against another edition
2.0
Probably a 2.5.
This is a tough book for me to review. Don't let my 2.5 star rating completely turn you off. There is good stories in these two books. There is adventure and death and betrayal and so many more things going on that I usually eat up while reading a book. The problem with this book is that it is so incredibly hard to follow. The language is just...not how we talk anymore. And because of that I had to focus way more than I wanted to.
I didn't read this book in school, but I wish that I did. Let me explain.
Romeo and Juliet was a book that I did read in school. I walked out of class when it got assigned and started reading the "supposed" best love story ever! Wrong. Complete and utter garbage. I hated the language. I didn't understand it. And I was bummed for the next however many more months of studying this book we were gonna do. Then, each day as we read the book and discussed it and I understood what they were saying, I began to fall in love with the characters and the story. After I was done in class I came to the conclusion that it is the second greatest love story ever told (I still think Titanic is better, sorry).
That's why I wish that I could have read this in school. I would probably have a much higher appreciation of it being able to spend more time on each chapter I read rather than trying to read it like a normal book. And this is the kind of stuff that is right up my alley. Zeus and Apollo and all the other Greek gods is stuff I love reading about. Oh, well. I'm glad it's done and I can say I've read them both.
In closing I want to say that The Illiad is better than The Odyssey :)
This is a tough book for me to review. Don't let my 2.5 star rating completely turn you off. There is good stories in these two books. There is adventure and death and betrayal and so many more things going on that I usually eat up while reading a book. The problem with this book is that it is so incredibly hard to follow. The language is just...not how we talk anymore. And because of that I had to focus way more than I wanted to.
I didn't read this book in school, but I wish that I did. Let me explain.
Romeo and Juliet was a book that I did read in school. I walked out of class when it got assigned and started reading the "supposed" best love story ever! Wrong. Complete and utter garbage. I hated the language. I didn't understand it. And I was bummed for the next however many more months of studying this book we were gonna do. Then, each day as we read the book and discussed it and I understood what they were saying, I began to fall in love with the characters and the story. After I was done in class I came to the conclusion that it is the second greatest love story ever told (I still think Titanic is better, sorry).
That's why I wish that I could have read this in school. I would probably have a much higher appreciation of it being able to spend more time on each chapter I read rather than trying to read it like a normal book. And this is the kind of stuff that is right up my alley. Zeus and Apollo and all the other Greek gods is stuff I love reading about. Oh, well. I'm glad it's done and I can say I've read them both.
In closing I want to say that The Illiad is better than The Odyssey :)
matthewb's review against another edition
4.0
Not being a Classics scholar, there is little I can say to add to the eminence Homer's epics hold among the canon of great literature.
I am glad I finally got around to reading it, and listening to it as an Audiobook made it much easier to finish. I enjoyed W. D. Rouse's translation, but the best thing about this version was Anthony Heald's performance. He excellently captured the variety of characters throughout the stories and conveyed the ferociousness and tenderness of the events really well.
One thing I did not know before embarking on reading these was that the Odyssey is not the immediate sequel of the Iliad. Odysseus' first appearance in the Odyssey is seven years after the end of the Battle of Troy. The end of the Trojan War is not recorded in the Iliad, but in other sources like the Aeneid. Some of the events are referenced in the Odyssey, though. I would recommend reading the Wikipedia article on the Trojan War in conjunction with the Iliad. There is so much that happened both before and after the events in the Iliad.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I found the emphasis on strength and courage and lack of mercy shown very illustrative of the ancient culture. Also interesting was the dynamics of the primitive Greek theology, with the gods resembling superhumans with magic powers.
I am glad I finally got around to reading it, and listening to it as an Audiobook made it much easier to finish. I enjoyed W. D. Rouse's translation, but the best thing about this version was Anthony Heald's performance. He excellently captured the variety of characters throughout the stories and conveyed the ferociousness and tenderness of the events really well.
One thing I did not know before embarking on reading these was that the Odyssey is not the immediate sequel of the Iliad. Odysseus' first appearance in the Odyssey is seven years after the end of the Battle of Troy. The end of the Trojan War is not recorded in the Iliad, but in other sources like the Aeneid. Some of the events are referenced in the Odyssey, though. I would recommend reading the Wikipedia article on the Trojan War in conjunction with the Iliad. There is so much that happened both before and after the events in the Iliad.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. I found the emphasis on strength and courage and lack of mercy shown very illustrative of the ancient culture. Also interesting was the dynamics of the primitive Greek theology, with the gods resembling superhumans with magic powers.
evadion's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed reading this book, it is a times a bit repetitive but nevertheless it was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it for those who are interested in Greek mythology or even Ancient Greek History (and the literature from that specific period) :)
I really enjoyed reading this book, it is a times a bit repetitive but nevertheless it was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it for those who are interested in Greek mythology or even Ancient Greek History (and the literature from that specific period) :)
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
Ils honorent ainsi la dépouille d'Héctor aux chevaux bien domptés.
ὣς οἵ γ᾽ ἀμφίεπον τάφον Ἕκτορος ἱπποδάμοιο.Cet avis est sur la traduction de Victor Bérard.
Publiée premièrement dans les années cinquante, la traduction de Victor Bérard est la première version de l'Iliade et de l'Odyssée j'ai lue enfant. L'introduction contient une pléthore d'informations très utiles, particulièrement s'il s'agit la première expérience de quelqu'un avec les œuvres d'Homère. Malheureusement, la traduction de Bérard est en prose, pas en vers. Par example, on peut voir la salve d'ouverture de l'Iliade, l'invocation à la Muse. :
Déesse, chante-nous la colère d'Achille, de ce fils de Pélée, — colère détestable, qui valut aux Argiens d'innombrables malheurs et jeta dans l'Hadès tant d'âmes de héros, livrant leurs corps en proie au oiseaux comme aux chiens : ainsi s'accomplissait la volonté de Zeus. Commence à la querelle où deux preux s'affrontèrent : l'Atride, chef de peuple, et le divin Achille.On voit ici les sept premiers vers de l'Iliade qui, en grec ancien et en français moderne, ma propre traduction ligne par ligne, peuvent être lu ainsi :
μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω ἈχιλῆοςMais la traduction de Bérard de l'Odyssée est également incluse. Que pense-je de sa traduction de la salve d'ouverture de l'Odyssée ? Eh bien, j'ai longtemps pensé que l'agilité d'un traducteur à traduire Homère peut généralement être déterminée par la qualité de sa traduction des premières lignes. J'ai beaucoup d'opinions sur la façon dont ces lignes devraient être traduites, et je n'hésiterai jamais à condamner et à critiquer une traduction faible. Voyons d'abord l'interprétation que fait Bérard des premiers vers (en prose, bien sûr) :
rage / chante / déesse / Pélide / Achille
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί᾽ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε᾽ ἔθηκε,
destructive, / la / innombrable / Achéens / douleur / faire
πολλὰς δ᾽ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν
nombreux / et / forts / âmes / à Hadès / envoyer
ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν
(les) héros, / corps / et / objets de proie / faire / chiens
οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι, Διὸς δ᾽ ἐτελείετο βουλή,
oiseaux de proie / et / chaque / Zeus / ainsi / réalisé / volonté
ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε
de / lui / et / le / premièrement / divisés / se quereller
Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς.
Atréide / et / roi / des hommes / et / divin / Achille.
C'est l'Homme aux mille tours, Muse, qu'il faut me dire, Celui qui tant erra quand, de Troade, il eut pillé la ville sainte, Celui qui visita les cités de tant d'hommes et connut leur esprit, Celui qui, sur les mers, passa par tant d'angoisses, en luttant pour survivre et ramener ses gens. Hélas ! même à ce prix, tout son désir ne put sauver son équipage : ils ne durent la mort qu'à leur propre sottise, ces fous qui, du Soleil, avaient mangé les bœufs ; c'est lui, le Fils d'En Haut, qui raya de leur vie la journée du retour.On voit ici les dix premiers vers de l'Odyssée qui, en grec ancien et en français moderne, ma propre traduction ligne par ligne, peuvent être lu ainsi :
Viens, Ô fille de Zeus, nous dire, à nous aussi, quelqu'un de ces exploits.
ἄνδρα μοι ἔννεπε, μοῦσα, πολύτροπον, ὃς μάλα πολλὰDans l'ensemble, lorsque je donne mon avis sur la meilleure traduction, je suggérerais toujours les traductions de Bérard de l'Iliade et de l'Odyssée, en particulier s'il s'agit la première fois que quelqu'un lit l'un ou l'autre texte. Bien sûr, il y a beaucoup de défauts dans ces versions, et je ne pense certainement pas qu'elles se maintiennent dans un contexte académique. Je ne recommanderais pas les œuvres traduites de Bérard à un étudiant des classiques ! Mais, pour les personnes lambda, pour ainsi dire, on ne peut pas se tromper avec Bérard.
homme / me / parle de, / Muse, / polytropos, / qui / très / beaucoup
πλάγχθη, ἐπεὶ Τροίης ἱερὸν πτολίεθρον ἔπερσεν:
errer, / après / Troie / sainte / citadelle / ravager
πολλῶν δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων ἴδεν ἄστεα καὶ νόον ἔγνω,
beaucoup / et / hommes / voir / ville / et / âme / percevoir
πολλὰ δ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἐν πόντῳ πάθεν ἄλγεα ὃν κατὰ θυμόν,
beaucoup / et / les / en fait / mers / souffre / douleurs / les / contre / cœur
ἀρνύμενος ἥν τε ψυχὴν καὶ νόστον ἑταίρων.
récolter / la / et / âme / et / retour (à la maison) / compagnons.
ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὣς ἑτάρους ἐρρύσατο, ἱέμενός περ:
mais / pas même / ainsi / compagnons / sauvegarder, / laisser / (particule enclitique qui suit le mot qu'elle modifie et lui ajoute de la force)
αὐτῶν γὰρ σφετέρῃσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ὄλοντο,
ils / pour / leurs / actes méchants / périr
νήπιοι, οἳ κατὰ βοῦς Ὑπερίονος Ἠελίοιο
infantile, / les / contre / bœufs / Hypérion / Hélios
ἤσθιον: αὐτὰρ ὁ τοῖσιν ἀφείλετο νόστιμον ἦμαρ.
manger: / cependant / le / les / retirer de / capable de retour (à la maison) / jour
τῶν ἁμόθεν γε, θεά, θύγατερ Διός, εἰπὲ καὶ ἡμῖν.
les / ça et là / en fait, / déesse, / fille / Zeus, / dire / et / (à) nous.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
I've compiled a (non-exhaustive) list of every translation of the Iliad and Odyssey I've read, with links to my reviews when I've written them. Translators' names are listed in chronological order of the date their translation was first published. Translations into languages other than English are marked with an initial asterisk. If it's listed here, I've read it; I will eventually write a review for those without working links, I promise.
Odyssey
George Chapman (1615)
Thomas Hobbes (1675)
Alexander Pope (1725)
*Johann Heinrich Voß (1781)
*Leconte de Lisle (1868)
George Herbert Palmer (1884)
*Victor Bérard (1924)
T.E. Lawrence (1932)
W.H.D. Rouse (1937)
E.V. Rieu (1945)
Richmond Lattimore (1965)
Ennis Rees (1960)
Robert Fitzgerald (1961)
Allen Mandelbaum (1990)
*Frédéric Mugler (1991)
Robert Fagles (1996)
Stanley Lombardo (2000)
Rodney Merrill (2002)
A.S. Kline (2004)
Ian Johnston (2006)
Stephen Mitchell (2013)
Emily Wilson (2017)
Peter Green (2018)
Iliad
George Chapman (1611-15)
John Dryden (1700)
Alexander Pope (1715)
*Johann Heinrich Voß (1793)
*Leconte de Lisle (1866)
W.H.D. Rouse (1938)
E.V. Rieu (1950)
Richmond Lattimore (1951)
*Victor Bérard (1955)
Robert Graves (1959)
Ennis Rees (1963)
Robert Fitzgerald (1974)
*Paul Mazon (1975)
Martin Hammond (1987)
Robert Fagles (1990)
Stanley Lombardo (1997)
*Dietrich Ebener (1999)
Ian Johnston (2002)
Rodney Merrill (2007)
A.S. Kline (2009)
Stephen Mitchell (2011)
Anthony Verity (2012)
Caroline Alexander (2015)
Peter Green (2015)
//
For good measure, here's the Aeneid:
Allen Mandelbaum (1971)
Robert Fitzgerald (1981)
Stanley Lombardo (2005)
Robert Fagles (2006)
Frederick Ahl (2007)
*Paul Veyne (2012)
Sarah Ruden (twice) (2021)
Shadi Bartsch (2021)
Odyssey
George Chapman (1615)
Thomas Hobbes (1675)
Alexander Pope (1725)
*Johann Heinrich Voß (1781)
*Leconte de Lisle (1868)
George Herbert Palmer (1884)
*Victor Bérard (1924)
T.E. Lawrence (1932)
W.H.D. Rouse (1937)
E.V. Rieu (1945)
Richmond Lattimore (1965)
Ennis Rees (1960)
Robert Fitzgerald (1961)
Allen Mandelbaum (1990)
*Frédéric Mugler (1991)
Robert Fagles (1996)
Stanley Lombardo (2000)
Rodney Merrill (2002)
A.S. Kline (2004)
Ian Johnston (2006)
Stephen Mitchell (2013)
Emily Wilson (2017)
Peter Green (2018)
Iliad
George Chapman (1611-15)
John Dryden (1700)
Alexander Pope (1715)
*Johann Heinrich Voß (1793)
*Leconte de Lisle (1866)
W.H.D. Rouse (1938)
E.V. Rieu (1950)
Richmond Lattimore (1951)
*Victor Bérard (1955)
Robert Graves (1959)
Ennis Rees (1963)
Robert Fitzgerald (1974)
*Paul Mazon (1975)
Martin Hammond (1987)
Robert Fagles (1990)
Stanley Lombardo (1997)
*Dietrich Ebener (1999)
Ian Johnston (2002)
Rodney Merrill (2007)
A.S. Kline (2009)
Stephen Mitchell (2011)
Anthony Verity (2012)
Caroline Alexander (2015)
Peter Green (2015)
//
For good measure, here's the Aeneid:
Allen Mandelbaum (1971)
Robert Fitzgerald (1981)
Stanley Lombardo (2005)
Robert Fagles (2006)
Frederick Ahl (2007)
*Paul Veyne (2012)
Sarah Ruden (twice) (2021)
Shadi Bartsch (2021)
aeder's review
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
krissy_'s review against another edition
1.0
First Read:
I went into both of these epic poems knowing the stories. I had done such to help me understand what I was reading, as I heard both The Iliad and The Odyssey can be intimidating. However, although I knew the story I still felt extremely overwhelmed reading the text. Because of this, I will not be giving a rating until I have read it for the second time - with hopes that I’ll be able to grasp the text properly.
However, my current thoughts are that the writing is so articulate. I felt intrigued by the way Homer writes, although it is not a style I’m used to as of yet, I did find it beautiful but harsh (in structure not text) at times as well. Although writing styles is just of preference and what I might love others may not. I enjoyed seeing one of the core texts within Greek Mythology that inspired the retellings we know now. And what I found was quite interesting in how modern day has altered some staple Greek Mythology figures and morphed their persona to fit an agenda. Which in normality is fine, but it’s a shame that not many people know the difference between what is modern alterations and what is the actual mythology. It was good to see some of the mistaken figures such as Hades be shown as who he was and not his modern day persona. Even though it was for only two sentences that he was mentioned in The Iliad (that I can recall). But those two sentences is proof enough of how much the mythology figures have been altered.
Although I just reread both texts, I do still recommend both of them. Especially if you are interested in learning about Greek Mythology.
I went into both of these epic poems knowing the stories. I had done such to help me understand what I was reading, as I heard both The Iliad and The Odyssey can be intimidating. However, although I knew the story I still felt extremely overwhelmed reading the text. Because of this, I will not be giving a rating until I have read it for the second time - with hopes that I’ll be able to grasp the text properly.
However, my current thoughts are that the writing is so articulate. I felt intrigued by the way Homer writes, although it is not a style I’m used to as of yet, I did find it beautiful but harsh (in structure not text) at times as well. Although writing styles is just of preference and what I might love others may not. I enjoyed seeing one of the core texts within Greek Mythology that inspired the retellings we know now. And what I found was quite interesting in how modern day has altered some staple Greek Mythology figures and morphed their persona to fit an agenda. Which in normality is fine, but it’s a shame that not many people know the difference between what is modern alterations and what is the actual mythology. It was good to see some of the mistaken figures such as Hades be shown as who he was and not his modern day persona. Even though it was for only two sentences that he was mentioned in The Iliad (that I can recall). But those two sentences is proof enough of how much the mythology figures have been altered.
Although I just reread both texts, I do still recommend both of them. Especially if you are interested in learning about Greek Mythology.
autonomousanimal's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0