Miriam Kahn answers “Which translation(s) would you recommend?”

Abdulla asked this question about The Iliad:

Which translation(s) would you recommend?

Miriam Kahn When I studied Homeric Greek, we used Lattimore for the Iliad and Fitzgerald for the Odyssey. I have a copy of Fagles but I didn't like it as much as …moreWhen I studied Homeric Greek, we used Lattimore for the Iliad and Fitzgerald for the Odyssey. I have a copy of Fagles but I didn't like it as much as Lattimore.

The new translation by Ian Johnston is also in verse and seems to keep the meter and flavor of the Greek.
Listening to the poem is the best way to experience it.

I'd avoid a prose version.

I agree with Newsom, go to a good bookstore or library and try the various translations for yourself. As to help with names and places, use one of the Oxford Classical Dictionary or Companion to Classical Literature or any of the 'dictionaries' of mythology.(less)

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