
by Homer
The epic classical poem of the Trojan War, now in an updated prose translation from the original Greek.
"Blakely's translation is fluent and accurate. . . . It has an elegance and loftiness. . . . If I were a teacher, I would very much be inclined to use it as a text." —Charles Rowan Beye, distinguished professor of classics emeritus at the City University of New York
One of the most important and influential works of the Western Canon, The Iliad has long been a favorite of scholars and laypeople, embraced by famed artists from Shakespeare to Brad Pitt.
The Iliad opens in the late stages of the Trojan War, and, with reflection on prior battles, follows through the sacking of Troy and the Greeks' bitter victory. Spanning the defeats, allegiances, victories, and vengeances of mortals and Gods alike, this epic poem of the ages still manages to be intensely relevant to modern readers. The major thematic thrusts (glory, honor, wrath, and fate) are both the stuff of legend and part of our ongoing experience.
Now, in an updated prose translation from the original Greek, Blakely focuses his Iliad on the gripping heroics of Achilles and Patroclus, recounting a relatable tale of angry young men striving for glory, trapped by fate into prescribed warrior roles.
"Blakely . . .[has] spent more hours with The Iliad for the love of it than most scholars of classics will in their lifetimes, and he [has] in the process developed a profound and deeply personal relationship with the poem. . . . Now, with this translation, Blakely invites his readers to cultivate a like intimacy with the work, a relationship of profound reward that will serve for years to come." —Keyne Chesire, associate professor and chair of classics at Davidson College
Ο Όμηρος είναι ο δημιουργός των ποιητικών έργων της Ιλιάδας και της Οδύσσειας, από τα πρώτα κείμενα της Ιστορικής περιόδου της αρχαίας Ελλάδας, γνωστών ως «Ομηρικά Έπη». Η Ιλιάδα αποτελείται από 15.693 στίχους και αναφέρεται στις τελευταίες πενήντα μία, αποφασιστικής σημασίας ημέρες του πολέμου της Τροίας, ο οποίος συνολικά διήρκεσε, σύμφωνα με τον μύθο, 10 χρόνια. Η Οδύσσεια αποτελείται από 12.110 στίχους και περιγράφει τον δεκαετή αγώνα του Οδυσσέα για τον νόστο (επιστροφή στην πατρίδα του Ιθάκη μετά την κατάληψη της Τροίας). Η γλώσσα των κειμένων είναι η ομηρική ελληνική, μια λογοτεχνική γλώσσα με ανάμειξη χαρακτηριστικών από την ιωνική και την αιολική διάλεκτο με κύρια επιρροή την ανατολική ιωνική διάλεκτο. Πολλοί ερευνητές πιστεύουν ότι αρχικά τα ποιήματα μεταδόθηκαν προφορικά. ---------- Homer (Ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος) was an ancient Greek author and epic poet. He is the reputed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the two epic poems that are the foundational works of ancient Greek literature. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential authors of all time. The Homeric epics were the greatest influence on ancient Greek culture and education. From antiquity until the present day, the influence of Homeric epic on Western civilization has been great, inspiring many of its most famous works of literature, music, art and film. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. The ancient Greeks generally believed that Homer was an historical individual, but modern scholars are skeptical: no reliable biographical information has been handed down from classical antiquity, and the poems themselves manifestly represent the culmination of many centuries of oral story-telling and a well-developed "formulaic" system of poetic composition. According to Martin West, "Homer" is "not the name of a historical poet, but a fictitious or constructed name."

by Homer
The epic classical poem of the Trojan War, now in an updated prose translation from the original Greek.
"Blakely's translation is fluent and accurate. . . . It has an elegance and loftiness. . . . If I were a teacher, I would very much be inclined to use it as a text." —Charles Rowan Beye, distinguished professor of classics emeritus at the City University of New York
One of the most important and influential works of the Western Canon, The Iliad has long been a favorite of scholars and laypeople, embraced by famed artists from Shakespeare to Brad Pitt.
The Iliad opens in the late stages of the Trojan War, and, with reflection on prior battles, follows through the sacking of Troy and the Greeks' bitter victory. Spanning the defeats, allegiances, victories, and vengeances of mortals and Gods alike, this epic poem of the ages still manages to be intensely relevant to modern readers. The major thematic thrusts (glory, honor, wrath, and fate) are both the stuff of legend and part of our ongoing experience.
Now, in an updated prose translation from the original Greek, Blakely focuses his Iliad on the gripping heroics of Achilles and Patroclus, recounting a relatable tale of angry young men striving for glory, trapped by fate into prescribed warrior roles.
"Blakely . . .[has] spent more hours with The Iliad for the love of it than most scholars of classics will in their lifetimes, and he [has] in the process developed a profound and deeply personal relationship with the poem. . . . Now, with this translation, Blakely invites his readers to cultivate a like intimacy with the work, a relationship of profound reward that will serve for years to come." —Keyne Chesire, associate professor and chair of classics at Davidson College
Ο Όμηρος είναι ο δημιουργός των ποιητικών έργων της Ιλιάδας και της Οδύσσειας, από τα πρώτα κείμενα της Ιστορικής περιόδου της αρχαίας Ελλάδας, γνωστών ως «Ομηρικά Έπη». Η Ιλιάδα αποτελείται από 15.693 στίχους και αναφέρεται στις τελευταίες πενήντα μία, αποφασιστικής σημασίας ημέρες του πολέμου της Τροίας, ο οποίος συνολικά διήρκεσε, σύμφωνα με τον μύθο, 10 χρόνια. Η Οδύσσεια αποτελείται από 12.110 στίχους και περιγράφει τον δεκαετή αγώνα του Οδυσσέα για τον νόστο (επιστροφή στην πατρίδα του Ιθάκη μετά την κατάληψη της Τροίας). Η γλώσσα των κειμένων είναι η ομηρική ελληνική, μια λογοτεχνική γλώσσα με ανάμειξη χαρακτηριστικών από την ιωνική και την αιολική διάλεκτο με κύρια επιρροή την ανατολική ιωνική διάλεκτο. Πολλοί ερευνητές πιστεύουν ότι αρχικά τα ποιήματα μεταδόθηκαν προφορικά. ---------- Homer (Ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος) was an ancient Greek author and epic poet. He is the reputed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the two epic poems that are the foundational works of ancient Greek literature. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential authors of all time. The Homeric epics were the greatest influence on ancient Greek culture and education. From antiquity until the present day, the influence of Homeric epic on Western civilization has been great, inspiring many of its most famous works of literature, music, art and film. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. The ancient Greeks generally believed that Homer was an historical individual, but modern scholars are skeptical: no reliable biographical information has been handed down from classical antiquity, and the poems themselves manifestly represent the culmination of many centuries of oral story-telling and a well-developed "formulaic" system of poetic composition. According to Martin West, "Homer" is "not the name of a historical poet, but a fictitious or constructed name."








