Here again, fagles has performed the translators task magnificently, giving. The iliad audiobook by homer, robert fagles translator. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the odyssey and what it means. Set in the trojan war, the tenyear siege of ilium, by a coalition of greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between king agamemnon and the warrior achilles.
If the iliad is the worlds greatest war epic, the odyssey is literatures grandest evocation of an everymans journey through life. In the myths and legends that are retold here, the energy and poetry of homers original is captured in a bold, contemporary idiom, giving us an edition of the odyssey that is a joy to listen to, worth savoring and treasuring for its sheer lyrical mastery this audiobook is sure to delight both the classicist. During and prior to this time period, there was a strong oral poetic tradition. The result, the winner of the 1991 academy of american poets landon translation award, is a wonderfully accessible iliad that preserves every nuance of homers genius. The odyssey penguin classics homer, fagles, robert isbn. I want to read the iliad andor odyssey, but im afraid. It was commonly thought that he lived on chios, an isl. If the iliad is the worlds greatest war story, then the odyssey is literatures.
Robert fagles national endowment for the humanities neh. The odyssey audiobook homer, robert fagles translator. Professor robert fagles 19332008, translations of the greek classics, which have become somewhat unlikely bestsellers. The odyssey by homer, translated by robert fitzgerald. As bernard knox argues in the introduction to robert fagless translation of the odyssey, the obligation of assisting and entertaining travelers and wayfarers is the closest the odyssey comes to asserting an absolute moral principle. Since 1961, this odyssey has sold more than two million copies, and it is the standard translation for three generations of students and. I highly suggest you start with the excellent fagles rendering of the iliad, also.
The poem is, in part, a sequel to the iliad, and concerns the events that befall the greek hero odysseus in his long journey back to his native land ithaca after the fall. Vocabulary from book i of robert fagles translation of the iliad. In an interview with playwright gideon lester, fagles described the job. Fagles has captured the energy and poetry of homers original in a bold, contemporary idiom, and given us an iliad and odyssey to read aloud, to savour, and to treasure for its sheer lyrical mastery. This groundbreaking english version by robert fagles is the most important recent translation of homers great epic poem. In robert fagles beautifully rendered text, the iliad overwhelms us afresh. Fagles was born in philadelphia, pennsylvania, the son of charles fagles, a lawyer, and vera voynow fagles, an architect. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. The iliad is a timeless poem that still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves inexorably to its wrenching, tragic conclusion. Download m4b 0112 220mb download m4b 24 2mb download cover art download cd case insert. Ill personally vouch for fagles on odyssey and aeneid, but i never got around to finishing the iliad.
I recommend for a firsttime reader to read a quick summary of each chapter before you read it so you have a general idea where the book is going. The iliad and the odyssey first edition robert fagles signed rare. The destruction of the phaeacian vessel raises an exception to xenia, the homeric code of hospitality. Mar 26, 2008 fagles was born in philadelphia, pennsylvania, the son of charles fagles, a lawyer, and vera voynow fagles, an architect. In an interview with playwright gideon lester, fagles described the job of a translator. The publication of a new translation by fagles is a literary event. Fagles was best known for his versions of the iliad 1990, the odyssey 1996 and the aeneid 2006. Robert fagles translation of the iliad is undoubtedly one of the very best. Translated by robert fagles, with introduction and notes by bernard knox. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth, pictorial endpapers. It was driven by far more action, and the ending was happy. The great war epic of western literature, in a stunning translation by acclaimed classicist robert fagles a penguin classic dating to the ninth century. He attended amherst college, graduating in 1955 with a bachelor of arts degree.
A work of tremendous influence that has inspired writers from his ancient greek contemporaries to modernist writers such as t. When i search for the book on amazon separately i get different information on price and on. Robert fagles does a tremendous job of maintaining the epic feel of the words and weaving the intricacies of epic storytelling into his translation. The huge themes godlike, yet utterly human of savagery and calculation, of destiny defied, of triumph and grief. The odyssey by homer complete unabridged audiobook classic. Combining the skills of a poet and scholar, robert fagles brings the. Project gutenberg has several editions of this ebook. Of the two epics, the odyssey is the later both in setting and, probably, date of composition. Listen to the iliad audiobook by homer, robert fagles translator, narrated by derek jacobi, maria tucci.
The odyssey is literatures grandest evocation of every mans journey through life. Translated by samuel butler 18351902 complete unabridged audiobook fab audio books the odyssey is one of the two major ancient greek epic poems the other being the. The other big translation that ive seen is by robert fagles, i think considered the superior version. The verse translation has been hailed by scholars as the new standard, providing an iliad that delights modern sensibility and aesthetic without sacrificing the grandeur and particular genius of homers own style and language. An iliad by lisa peterson and denis ohare based on homers the iliad, translated by robert fagles the following acknowledgments must appear on the title page in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the play. The centuries old epic about the wrath of achilles is rendered into modern english verse by a renowned translator and accompanied by an introduction that reassesses the identity of homer. There are various references to characters and events from the iliad, as well as a growing. He was the recipient of the 1997 penralph manheim medal for translation and a 1996 award in literature. He maintains the drive and metric music of homers poetry, and evokes the impact and nuance of the iliads mesmerising repeated phrases in what peter levi calls an astonishing performance. It is sobering to note the air of anxiety that accompanies this distinguished new. Instead of being an exacting literal translator, he sought to reinterpret the classics in a contemporary idiom which gave his translations a narrative energy and verve.
Homer author, robert fagles translator, bernard knox introduction 4. The odyssey is one of the two major ancient greek epic poems the other being the iliad, attributed to the poet homer. Robert fitzgeralds translation of homers odyssey is the best and bestloved modern translation of the greatest of all epic poems. The iliad by homer part 1 of 2 full audiobook greatest audio books duration. These classic epics provided the basis for greek education and culture throughout the classical age and formed the backbone of humane education through the birth of the roman empire and the spread of christianity. Homer the odyssey translated by robert fagles book i athena inspires the prince sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns.
In this brilliant translation, robert fagles brings the vigor of contemporary language to homers 2,700yearold tale. He maintains the drive and metric music of homers poetry, and evokes the impact and nuance of the iliad s mesmerising repeated phrases in what peter levi calls an astonishing performance. The ancients believed it was a bard called homer, although they disagreed about biographical details. Its where your interests connect you with your people. A glorious boxed set featuring robert fagless awardwinning translations of the three great epics of western literature one of the preeminent translators of our time, robert fagless interpretations of these epic poems give new life to three seminal works in the western canon. While seven greek cities claim the honor of being his birthplace, ancient tradition places him in ionia, located in the eastern aegean. Fagles translated the iliad in 1990 and the odyssey in 1996. Perhaps the greatest poem of the western world, the iliad tells the story of fifty critical days towards the end of the trojan war. The iliad by robert fagles and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
Buy the iliad penguin classics new ed by homer, knox, bernard, knox, bernard, fagles, robert isbn. The best thing if you want to wade through a long book like that is to break it down into digestible chunks, like maybe read ten pages a day or so. The iliadthe odyssey by homer meet your next favorite book. Obviously the trio to start with is homers iliad and odyssey with virgils later aeneid but which translation. However, unlike some translations, fagles work reads like an adventure with rhythm and movement, once you pick up on the rhythm. If the iliad is the worlds greatest war story, then the odyssey is literatures greatest evocation of every mans journey. References throughout are to robert fagles poetic translation, homer.
The iliad penguin classics kindle edition by homer, bernard knox, robert fagles. Im a kindle fanatic, but i go for quality rather than volume, and today im kicking off my selection of the greek and latin classics. In the myths and legends that are retold here, renowned translator robert fagles has captured the energy and poetry of homers original in a bold, contemporary idiom and given us an edition of the odyssey to read aloud, to savor, and to treasure for its sheer lyrical mastery. The classic translation of the odyssey, now in an unabridged audio edition. The penguin classic deluxe editions of the iliad, the odyssey, and the aeneid are collected. Crowded with characters, both human and nonhuman, and bursting with action, the epic tales detail the fabled trojan war and the adventures of odysseus as he struggles to return home. The identity of the composer of the odyssey and the iliad is a matter of some speculation. The poem is commonly dated to between 800 and 600 bc. Iliad and odyssey boxed set by homer, paperback barnes.
And yet, i was surprised by how much i didnt love the odyssey. First editions, early printings of both the iliad and the odyssey of the translation done by robert fagles. Lattimores is closest to the original greek, and for undergraduate work can substitute for the original well enough. He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the.
That translation, even for a classicist, is very tough reading. An account, in the form of an epic poem written in dactylic hexameter, long thought to be pure greek mythology, of a bronzeage conflict between the greeks of sparta, and those of troy, in phrygia, in modern times, northwestern anatolia, turkey. Similarly, most scholars believe that the iliad was not written down until somewhere between 800 and 600 b. When robert fagles translation of the iliad was published in 1990, critics and scholars alike hailed it as a masterpiece. The iliad, odyssey and aeneid are some of the greatest tales of all time, and if youre going to pick one set to own and cherish, its this copy. Mar 20, 2009 i thought that the odyssey by homer trans. If you enjoyed the iliad, you might like the odyssey, also available in penguin. Like so many readers of this greatest of the classics, there is much labor in taking on this great work. Marks 19 professor of comparative literature, emeritus, at princeton university. The odyssey takes the fall of the city of troy as its starting point and crafts a new epic. The iliad penguin classics kindle edition by homer. An iliad was originally developed as part of the new york theatre workshop usual suspects program. Little is known about the ancient greek oral poet homer, the supposed 8th century bc author of the worldread iliad and his later masterpiece, the odyssey. I also own the fagles iliad, read by derek jacobi, and think it a wonderful example of derek jacobi reading derek jacobi i could never get beyond half a tape.
Thus, it is also a challenge to fagles s translation, among whose virtues is how well it works as an audiobook. I had done my dissertation on popes translation, and i wanted to make it new. Eliot, homers epic poem the iliad is translated by robert fagles with an introduction and notes by bernard knox in penguin classics one of the foremost achievements in western literature, homers iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the. The iliad the greeks believed that the iliad and the odyssey were composed by a single poet whom they named homer.
Homer was the first greek writer whose work survives. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the iliad penguin classics. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, fagles has reintroduced virgils aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of western. Oct 31, 2011 four decades after lattimore, robert fagless 1990 translation took the field, establishing itself as the preeminent english translation. Nov 19, 2008 robert fagles translation of the iliad is undoubtedly one of the very best. That might be a bit more in the epic poetry style that you. Tumblr is a place to express yourself, discover yourself, and bond over the stuff you love. The nation fitzgeralds odyssey and iliad open up once more the unique greatness of homers art at the level above the formula. During and prior to this time period, there was a strong oral poetic tradition which involved traveling poets called rhapsodoi. Gripping listeners and readers for more than 2,700 years, the iliad is the story of the trojan war and the rage of achilles. His birthdate is undocumented as well, though most modern scholars now place the composition of the iliad. The ancient greek poet homer established the gold standard for heroic quests and sweeping journeys with his pair of classic epic poems, the iliad and the odyssey.
As much as any translation can bring about such an effect, robert fagles does successfully. Classics like the iliad, odyssey, dantes inferno, and so many others are not the passive entertainment experiences we are used to. His translations of both the iliad and odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Aug 17, 2006 combining the skills of a poet and scholar, robert fagles brings the energy of contemporary language to this enduring heroic epic. The story begins when paris, son of priam, king of troy, carries off the beautiful helen, thereby. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Thus begins the stirring story of the trojan war and the rage of achilles that has gripped listeners and readers for 2,700 years. Listen to the odyssey audiobook by homer, robert fagles translator, narrated.
Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, fighting to save. The odyssey by homer translated by robert fagles abebooks. If the iliad is the worlds greatest war story, then the odyssey is literatures greatest evocation of every mans journey through life. Most scholars agree that the time period in which the events in the iliad took place was about 1200 b. The iliad audiobook homer, robert fagles translator audible. He maintains the drive and metric music of homers poetry, and evokes the impact and nuance of the iliads mesmerizing repeated phrases in what peter levi calls an astonishing performance. Combining the skills of a poet and scholar, robert fagles brings the energy of contemporary language to this enduring heroic epic. In this brilliant translation, robert fagles brings the vigor of contemporary. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Achilles has quarrelled with agamemnon and sulks in his tent, while hector brings his trojans to the brink of victory. Attributed to a sightless poet simply known as homer, of which little is known, this epic poem was most probably created over several centuries, perhaps during the socalled geometric age c. The fagles translations of the iliad, odyssey, and usually aenuid are currently the standard in most college courses. The iliad tells the story of the greek struggle to rescue helen, a greek queen, from her trojan captors. Reviewed by sheila murnaghan, university of pennsylvania.