The Iliad is one of the cornerstones of Western literature. At first glance this may seem unwarranted. It tells only a fraction of the story of the siege of Troy, it consists largely of gory battle descriptions, the principal character spends most of the book sulking offstage, and it's the capricious gods who will determine the outcome of the whole business anyway. But it's the latter that is the key to the importance of this poem to the ancient Greeks and to us.

The gods do what they do, favor whom they favor, for petty reasons of their own that have nothing to do with right or wrong, glory or shame, courage or fear. It is only men who have these feelings. The gods have preordained the outcome of the battle, and men know this, but they fight anyway. They gods even appear in person on the battlefield, and men fight them, knowing they cannot win. They fight for honor, glory, comradeship, duty, treasure, or love, each knowing that he is likely to die and take nothing he has gained to the underworld with him. Men, in the Iliad, prove themselves greater than the gods who control them. Man finds a reason to continue his struggle in the face of blind fate he can never overcome. This is why the Iliad is as inspiring as it is entertaining.

The Fagles translation is so readable that it is actually a little jarring at first. One expects ancient epics to be heavy going, but this Iliad reads like today's fiction. Perhaps this is not the most literal translation of the Greek--I'm not qualified to say--but it surely is in keeping with the author's original intent, which is to present a spellbinding tale about great heroes in their days of glory. The extra materials in the Penguin volume--introduction, maps, glossary and notes--are all top notch as well and very useful. ( )

I've read the Fitzgerald translation, but this time I felt like reading a classic, Victorian prose translation. We'll see how it goes. ( )

Comments on just finishing the Robert Fagles translation:

o People say it is a book about anger, but it is certainly also about killing, getting killed, grasping for glory or fame, as well as loving.

o For someone like myself who finds cultural historiography fascinating, the book is an excellent resource.

o One obvious thing is that while all humans have an emotional natures it becomes equally apparent that different cultures in different times respond radically different to age old basic situations like love and death. In the book, the Greeks respond to love or loss of a loved one without any inhibition or effort at self control. By comparison, in our time the practice of keeping a stiff upper lip and a measured middle way would look anemic by comparison. It is strange that this view toward loving and loss are not covered in any of the books of criticism cited at the back of the book.

o On the topic of loss also, it is apparent that it was a totally acceptable custom and even expected for one to give oneself up to publicly and totally grieving-for as long as it takes. The men and women both are expected to weep uncontrollably.

When was the last time any of us ever did that?

In summary, I loved it and was amazed that I found it so entrancing through out.

Would obviously love to hear how those with military background respond to the book. ( )

I preferred the odyssey, but this is still great! A who's, who of the ancient greek world with a heavy dose of manipulation by the God's thrown in! Everyone should read this!

Lattimore's translation is the most accurate and the best for close reading.