Composed in twentyfour books of greek hexameter poetry, it portrays the events of the last year. Sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns. Sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of troy. Knox is the editor of the norton book of classical literature, and has also collabo rated with robert fagles on the odyssey and thethree theban plays. See important quotations explained the narrator of the odyssey invokes the muse, asking for inspiration as he prepares to tell the story of odysseus. Odysseus reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces during his tenyear voyage home to ithaca after the trojan war is at once a timeless human story.
Along with the odyssey, the iliad is among the oldest extant works of western literature, and its written version is usually dated to around the eighth century bc. Ajax, odysseus, helen of troy, menelaus, paris, hector, achilles. Im not into books like this one but i loved this book. The iliad by robert fagles and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. One of the foremost achievements in western literature, homers iliad tells the. The odyssey homerrobert fagles download free ebook. Marks19 professor of comparative litera ture, emeritus, at princeton university. If the iliad is the worlds greatest war story, then the odyssey is literatures greatest. The iliad, by homer full audiobook homers iliad is the first great work of western literature. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the iliad and what it means. He attended amherst college, graduating in 1955 with a bachelor of arts degree. If the iliad is the worlds greatest war epic, the odyssey is literatures grandest evocation of an everymans journey through life.
Bc, the poet to whom the composition of the iliad and odyssey are attributed. The odyssey by homer, 9780143039952, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. Homer was a greek poet, recognized as the author of the great epics, the iliad, the story of the siege of troy, and the odyssey, the tale of ulysses s wanderings. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Share an accessible iliad for twentyfirstcentury readers a classic of western literature for three millennia, homers iliad captivates modern readersas it did ancient listenerswith its tale of gods and warriors at the siege of troy. Fagles was born in philadelphia, pennsylvania, the son of charles fagles, a lawyer, and vera voynow fagles, an architect. Bob babcock fagles attention to meter makes for an enjoyable read. The poet invokes a muse to aid him in telling the story of the rage of achilles, the greatest greek hero to fight in the trojan war. The narrative begins nine years after the start of the war, as the achaeans sack a trojanallied town and capture two beautiful maidens, chryseis and briseis. He is the recipient of the 1997 penralph manheim medal for translation and a 1996 academy award. Combining the skills of a poet and scholar, robert fagles brings the energy of contemporary. Also, homers impact up to today with an emphasis on.