Starting with the Iliad is good advice. That opening rage of Achilles sets the terms for everything that follows, including the Odyssey. Hesiod's Theogony genuinely helps once the similes start piling up genealogies.
For my first reading of The Iliad and The Odyssey, I read Emily Wilson's translations. For my next For The Odyssey, I read Lombardo. I'll read his for my next visit for The Iliad. Then, I'll probably check out Fagles. I look forward to reading The Greek Epic Fragments and Homer's Hymns also.
For anyone interested, Benjamin Mcevoy from The Hardcore Literature Book Club, did a translation taste test in this video https://youtu.be/vLn_wmedmT0?is=oaT16sE83pYg-55b . He's done some other translation taste tests before, and that's how I normally pick. Ironically, I scored Lombardo's translation the highest after the taste test, but I chose Wilson's instead. I ended up liking hers more, but maybe it's because it was my first read of it?
That's neat. Yeah, I heard the Lombardo translations were very raw and gritty. That sounds like something I would enjoy and so I do plan to visit those at some point. Thanks for the note.
In a college course on Greek drama, the instructor advised us to avoid Hamilton’s Mythology, on the grounds that it wasn’t detailed enough for college course work. So she recommended Robert Graves’s two volume set. However, Graves’s work is absolutely full of bizarre theories and unproven assertions, almost an academic conspiracy theory. Personally, I’d recommend Stephen Fry’s volumes, as they are both detailed, and as we might expect, extremely engaging. But there are at least four volumes, and that might strain the student’s budget. . . .
Nothing wrong with Hamilton’s Mythology at all! Our instructor just felt that it wasn’t suitable for her college class. Unfortunately. . . she had to recommend Robert Graves! I actually would have preferred Hamilton to Graves!
I’ve given away several copies of Emily Wilson’s Odyssey — it is so good and readable with excellent notes so anyone can understand it without any background. That being said, Edith Hamilton’s Mythology is wonderful, especially the illustrated version. I hope that the new movie will motivate people to read Homer!
Great post, Erik! When I decided to read The Iliad last year, it took a lot of research and sample reading before I landed on a translation. In the end, I chose the Stanley Lombardo translation.
I see you have several copies there; have you found a favorite translation? And do you prefer the same translator for The Odyssey?
Thanks, Tyler. For translations, I've read Wilson, Fitzgerald, and Fagles so far. Fagles is a great place to start, and the introductions by Bernard Knox in those editions are excellent (but read the epics before the intros!).
Starting with the Iliad is good advice. That opening rage of Achilles sets the terms for everything that follows, including the Odyssey. Hesiod's Theogony genuinely helps once the similes start piling up genealogies.
For my first reading of The Iliad and The Odyssey, I read Emily Wilson's translations. For my next For The Odyssey, I read Lombardo. I'll read his for my next visit for The Iliad. Then, I'll probably check out Fagles. I look forward to reading The Greek Epic Fragments and Homer's Hymns also.
For anyone interested, Benjamin Mcevoy from The Hardcore Literature Book Club, did a translation taste test in this video https://youtu.be/vLn_wmedmT0?is=oaT16sE83pYg-55b . He's done some other translation taste tests before, and that's how I normally pick. Ironically, I scored Lombardo's translation the highest after the taste test, but I chose Wilson's instead. I ended up liking hers more, but maybe it's because it was my first read of it?
That's neat. Yeah, I heard the Lombardo translations were very raw and gritty. That sounds like something I would enjoy and so I do plan to visit those at some point. Thanks for the note.
In a college course on Greek drama, the instructor advised us to avoid Hamilton’s Mythology, on the grounds that it wasn’t detailed enough for college course work. So she recommended Robert Graves’s two volume set. However, Graves’s work is absolutely full of bizarre theories and unproven assertions, almost an academic conspiracy theory. Personally, I’d recommend Stephen Fry’s volumes, as they are both detailed, and as we might expect, extremely engaging. But there are at least four volumes, and that might strain the student’s budget. . . .
Good to know - thank you! Yeah, I like that Hamilton's is an easy one-volume reference book that works for most people.
Nothing wrong with Hamilton’s Mythology at all! Our instructor just felt that it wasn’t suitable for her college class. Unfortunately. . . she had to recommend Robert Graves! I actually would have preferred Hamilton to Graves!
I’ve given away several copies of Emily Wilson’s Odyssey — it is so good and readable with excellent notes so anyone can understand it without any background. That being said, Edith Hamilton’s Mythology is wonderful, especially the illustrated version. I hope that the new movie will motivate people to read Homer!
Great post, Erik! When I decided to read The Iliad last year, it took a lot of research and sample reading before I landed on a translation. In the end, I chose the Stanley Lombardo translation.
I see you have several copies there; have you found a favorite translation? And do you prefer the same translator for The Odyssey?
Thanks, Tyler. For translations, I've read Wilson, Fitzgerald, and Fagles so far. Fagles is a great place to start, and the introductions by Bernard Knox in those editions are excellent (but read the epics before the intros!).
And yes, I like the idea of reading the same translator for both for continuity.
Thanks for posting this list.