The Iliad

I received a copy of this book for free from Oxford University Press via NetGalley.

This is the only version of The Iliad that I have ever read. (Somehow, I missed that boat in high school.) Therefore, I cannot compare the translation difference, but I can just give you my honest opinion.

The story is a classic. Everyone knows it at least from seeing a movie or reading a synopsis or from history class in high school. I decided it was time to become enlightened and actually read the book. I chose this one because it is a new version. Honestly, I felt like I was reading the equivalent of the King James version of the Bible. The translation is supposed to be one of the most literal translations from a lifelong scholar, Barry Powell. There's a lot to be said for all of his hard work at this literal translation, but it really isn't as easy to follow as I thought it would be. I had to re-read a lot of parts.

But... the introduction that he provides is very lengthy and interesting. It goes into the history of the Greeks and Homer and the Iliad itself - a lot that I have never spent much time learning about. Also, there are footnotes as you are reading that are extremely helpful and insightful.

I would recommend this version of The Iliad to people who are interested in history and who are interested to specifically study the Iliad and the meanings behind the story.

La única emoción más fuerte que la ira no es el amor, sino el luto.

I liked it a lot! I found the characters to be great and interesting. I loved the relationship of the gods between each other and also how they intervened in human affairs. I wasn't huge on the massive battle sequences and felt that they could drag on for too long. I did like when they did the 1v1 battles with dialogue interspersed. This book also taught me about writing techniques I never thought of such as giving multiple names for the same character or referring to a character in different ways. Overall, I am very happy I read this and I plan to read more classical literature!

Exciting tale of war between the Greeks and Trojans, with focus on the mightiest men of the two armies and how the gods intervene to help their respective sides. Good read!

I know I read this Lattimore translation my freshman year at MIT.
It really is beautiful, if a bit gory at times. The huge number of names, oblique name references, and mythological and geographical references do make reading difficult, but I was in no hurry this time and was using the notes in Willock's excellent Companion, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don't remember and can't help wondering now if I got as much out of it as a freshman as I do now. I have a lot more background knowledge of Greek mythology, history, and geography now than I did then. But, even as a freshman, it was not my first exposure to Homer: I remember buying and reading the Classics Illustrated version of The Iliad in elementary school, as well as reading the Rouse translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey when I was in high school. I must have liked it my freshman year though because I remember reading a lot of the followup Greek dramas outside of class because I liked them so much.
Anyway, I decided to pick up The Iliad again because I recently read Madeleine Miller's The Song of Achilles, which I loved for her lyricism, and Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls, which I really liked for her storytelling. I wanted to see how much they were retconing Homer. The answer is, quite a bit, but they can stand on their own. Nowhere near as bad as the movie Troy.
Anyway, I can recommend the Lattimore translation as one of the most readable and lyrical. It's most enjoyable if you take your time and lookup or figure out all of the references.
I'm sure there are other fine translations out there and opinions and preferences may vary. John Keats wrote an excellent favorable review of Chapman's translation some time ago.