The Iliad

Written by Homer · Translated by E.V. Rieu Peter V. Jones , and D.C.H. Rieu

A powerful warrior withdraws from battle after a dispute with his commander, and the fate of armies and gods hangs on his anger.

560 pages· 118,622 words· 1330L· AR 11.3 · 25 AR pts

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Bookroo's summary

Homer's epic poem of the Trojan War, in E.V. Rieu's prose translation, revised by Peter Jones with D.C.H. Rieu. In the war's tenth year, the Greek hero Achilles quarrels with his commander Agamemnon and refuses to fight. As the Trojans led by Hector drive the Greeks back to their ships and the gods take sides, Achilles' rage brings grief to both camps.

From the publisher

Homer's monumental epic set at the end of the Trojan War explores love, heroism, and the intricate relationship between gods and mortals--now in a beautiful clothbound hardcover edition designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith. The Iliad is the first and the greatest literary achievement of Greek civilization--the cornerstone of Western culture and an epic poem without rival in world literature. The story centers on the critical events in the last year of the Trojan War, which lead to Achilleus's killing of Hektor and the fall of Troy. But Homer's theme is not simply war or heroism. With compassion and humanity, he presents a universal and tragic view of the world: human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death set against a vast and largely unpitying divine background. This edition presents Penguin Classics founder E. V. Rieu's lively translation of Homer's great epic. Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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