Description
By (author) Homer; Translated by Wilson, Emily
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The greatest literary landmark of classical antiquity masterfully rendered by the most celebrated translator of our time
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When Emily Wilson”s translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017—revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that “combines intellectual authority with addictive readability” (Edith Hall, The Sunday Telegraph)—critics lauded it as “a revelation” (Susan Chira, The New York Times) and “a cultural landmark” (Charlotte Higgins, The Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an equally revelatory translation of the first great Homeric epic: The Iliad.In Wilson”s hands, this exciting and often horrifying work now gallops at a pace befitting its battle scenes, roaring with the clamour of arms, the bellowing boasts of victors and the anguished cries of dying men. Wilson”s unadorned but resonant language plumbs the poem”s profound pathos and reveals its characters as palpably real, even “complicated”, human beings. Capping a decade of intense engagement with Homer”s poetry, Wilson”s Iliad now gives us a complete Homer for our generation.
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“Wilson’s translation runs as swift as a bloody river, teems with the clattering sounds of war, bursts with the warriors’ hunger for battle”
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“Wilson’s Iliad is clear and brisk, its iambic pentameter a zone of enchantment. “
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“Superb… [a] beautiful, fluent, memorable translation”
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“Seduce[s] with its crystalline clarity, elegance, sensuality, sometimes breathless pace and above all emotional clout.”
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“A triumphant new translation of the Iliad… It”s a poem you read with your heart in your throat. “
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“A propulsive read… an excellent translation”
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“Sing, goddess, of the skill of Emily [Wilson].”
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“Vitally urgent”
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“For the Greeks, Homer was the universal poet. He was likened to the ocean, circling the world, from which all cultural rivers flowed… Two thousand years later, those rivers still flow. Wilson can take much pride in her successful contribution to this mighty stream”
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“Emily Wilson’s superb rendering of the Greek epic resounds with Miltonic echoes”
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“Emily Wilson”s translation of the “Iliad” brings Homer”s great war story to rousing new life….propulsive….buoyant and expressive. “
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“In Wilson”s hands, the poem sings with the clash of bronze, the thundering of hooves, the savage holler of war-cries. Her use of iambic pentameter imbues it with irresistible pace and rhythm. It flows like music – exhilarating, tragic, beautiful and stirring”
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“Wilson is at her best when writing of the battlefield. As others have noted, she has a knack for the consonantal sounds of warfare… Wilson’s Iliad is always to the point.”
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“Wilson”s translation is vivid, lucid, pacy… For those yet to encounter this violent, charming, disturbing, beautiful poem, now is the time.”
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“Excellent… [Wilson] achieves a fluid and consistent vision.”
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“Wilson has forged a poetic style in English that captures the essence of Homeric Greek….Readable, relevant and from the heart, this is the “Iliad” we have all been waiting for, whether we knew it or not.””
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“We should be grateful for Emily Wilson”s luminous new translation of the Iliad… Wilson”s edition should be compulsory reading for every statesperson and politician—especially those seeking to make cheap capital out of our current tragedy… Read and be awe
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