Iliad IX by Homer

Iliad IX by Homer

A concise introduction, text, and commentary on this Book, the turning point in the plot of the poem and one of its poetical peaks, rich in vivid speech and psychology, and raising fundamental questions about heroism and the meaning of human life. There is a general account of Homeric style and language, and of the formulaic system of composition. The Embassy to Achilles is discussed in the context of an accessible general account of heroic poetry and of the Iliad as a whole. The commentary explains basic points of language and style; it also discusses disputed questions and offers a full literary commentary on all aspects of the text. Quoted Greek is translated.

An excellent contribution to Homeric studies by a seasoned scholarHighly recommended to beginning and experienced readers. * Religious Studies Review *
'...a highly suitable introduction for students new to Homer, and one of the greatest merits of Griffin's excellent edition is the conviction with which he argues for its importance in the structure of the poem...this is a thoroughly reliable edition, and it can be recommended not only to beginners in Homer but also to more advanced scholars.' * A.F.Garvie, Univ. of Glasgow, Jnl. of Hellenic Studies 118 (1998), 208 *

Homer was probably born around 725BC on the Coast of Asia Minor, now the coast of Turkey, but then really a part of Greece. Homer was the first Greek writer whose work survives. He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the oral tradition. Homer and other bards of the time could recite, or chant, long epic poems. Both works attributed to Homer - the Iliad and the Odyssey - are over ten thousand lines long in the original. Homer must have had an amazing memory but was helped by the formulaic poetry style of the time.

In the Iliad Homer sang of death and glory, of a few days in the struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. Mortal men played out their fate under the gaze of the gods. The Odyssey is the original collection of tall traveller's tales. Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War, encounters all kinds of marvels from one-eyed giants to witches and beautiful temptresses. His adventures are many and memorable before he gets back to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope. We can never be certain that both these stories belonged to Homer. In fact 'Homer' may not be a real name but a kind of nickname meaning perhaps 'the hostage' or 'the blind one'. Whatever the truth of their origin, the two stories, developed around three thousand years ago, may well still be read in three thousand years' time.

Robert Fagles (1933-2008) was Arthur W. Marks '19 Professor of Comparative Literature, Emeritus, at Princeton University. He was the recipient of the 1997 PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His translations include Sophocles's Three Theban Plays, Aeschylus's Oresteia (nominated for a National Book Award), Homer's Iliad (winner of the 1991 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award by The Academy of American Poets), Homer's Odyssey, and Virgil's Aeneid.

Bernard Knox (1914-2010) was Director Emeritus of Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. He taught at Yale University for many years. Among his numerous honors are awards from the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His works include The Heroic Temper: Studies in Sophoclean Tragedy, Oedipus at Thebes: Sophocles' Tragic Hero and His Time and Essays Ancient and Modern (awarded the 1989 PEN/Spielvogel-Diamonstein Award).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780198141303
ISBN 10	0198141300
Title	Iliad IX
Author	Homer
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	1995-06-29
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable