--- product_id: 1274550 title: "The Iliad" price: "HK$205" currency: HKD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.hk/products/1274550-the-iliad store_origin: HK region: Hong Kong --- # The Iliad **Price:** HK$205 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Iliad - **How much does it cost?** HK$205 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hk](https://www.desertcart.hk/products/1274550-the-iliad) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description The great war epic of Western literature, translated by acclaimed classicist Robert Fagles, and featured in the Netflix series The OA A Penguin Classic Dating to the ninth century B.C., Homer’s timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves inexorably to the wrenching, tragic conclusion of the Trojan War. Renowned classicist Bernard Knox observes in his superb introduction that although the violence of the Iliad is grim and relentless, it coexists with both images of civilized life and a poignant yearning for peace. Combining the skills of a poet and scholar, Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, brings the energy of contemporary language to this enduring heroic epic. He maintains the drive and metric music of Homer’s poetry, and evokes the impact and nuance of the Iliad ’s mesmerizing repeated phrases in what Peter Levi calls “an astonishing performance.” This Penguin Classics Deluxe edition also features French flaps and deckle-edged paper. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. 9780140275360 Review: On the world in one book and Fagles over Lombardo - I have several points to make in this review. The first is to explain why I recommend the Fagles translation over that of Lombardo. The choice of translation is at one and the same time easy, personal and fraught with consequence. It is easy because all the translations that I am familiar with (Fitzgerald, Fagles and Lombardo) are excellent and have their own excellencies. It is personal because because I believe it is largely a matter of individual aesthetic. But it is fraught with consequence. Let me explain that last part. In Homeric Moments, Eva Braan points out the passage in Book 18 when Achilles first talks to Thetis after hearing that Patrocles has been killed by Hector. Fagles (p. 470, Line 96) translates the line as "I've lost him". Lombardo parses the line as "And I killed him" (Lombardo, p. 357, Line 86). Braan suggests that the alternate to lost should be "destroyed" (Braan, p. 11). This crux epitomizes my loss at not knowing Greek and having to read translations. I lose out on those moments, those flashes of shifting insight that knowing that the word I am reading can imply loss, guilt and transgression all at the same time. Knowing that there are trade-offs of insight to win or lose on the choice of a translation, I recommend you read several. Pick a main translation. And at the moments of consequence in the story, consult the others. Lombardo is flat out better at making Book 2(the catalogue of ships) not only readable but purposeful. Homer in that one chapter is giving all the islands, all the kingdoms and cities of Greece a place in the national epic of the country. He is giving everyone in Greece a hero to look back on as their own. But in general I find Lombardo to be, for lack of a better term, coarser. And, I think it has a lot to do with his methodology. I read his intro as saying that he works his translation out over the coarse of time by performing it (fair enough since we are reading Homer, the singer of epics). But, as a result of those readings perhaps, his translation has passages that are real clunkers. For example, I laughed out loud when I read this: "Well let me tell you something. I guarantee That if I ever catch you running on at the mouth again As you were just now, my name isn't Odysseus..." (Lombardo, p.28, Line 279-281) I read those line and what I see is young Marlon Brando in The Wild Ones not Odysseus. Compare Fagles: "I tell you this, so help me it's the truth: If I catch you again, blithering on this way, let Odysseus' head be wrenched off his shoulders" (Fagles, p. 108, Line 301-303). That line count is also an issue- Lombardo's methodology leads him to leave out words, phrases and lines because they are unneccessary to performance. I can't go with that. I could go on but I think you see my argument. To sum up: I don't read/speak a bit of Greek. My ear when reading aloud leads me to prefer the Fagles translation but the Lombardo is a valuable adjunct to that reading. Since both translations are also interpretations, to read them both is to probably get a little closer to Homer. And, by the way, both contain useful introductions although I think Knox's intro to Fagles' translation is better than Murnaghan's to Lombardo's translation. Finally, why should you care? I have hinted at it in my review title and my remark on the catalogue of ships. Homer's poetic style reveals so much more than an epic on force or whatever the critical summation de jour is. He creates a world. Not just a world at war but through his similes a world of crafts, work, weddings, births, murders, kinships, friendships, of gods, of monsters, of countries and of history. Toward the end of the book, the God Hephaestus creates for Achilles a new shield. Homer describes in detail the working on the shield, the two cities, one at war, one at peace and the whole universe that surrounds them. It is the perfect simile for the effect of Homer's poem as a whole. The other reason you should read this book is the central conflict between Hector and Achilles. Both men are doomed and know it. Both are aware that the success of their side is dependent on them. Achilles is the more god-like but Hector is the better man, the more humane human being. You should care about reading about these two because in their conflict, they are tracing out what is was for the men of ancient Greece to live and to die. And their story continues to carry the weight of the ways that they faced their fate down to our own time. Which brings me to my final reason for preferring Fagles over Lombardo. Brando in The Wild Ones was a marvel. There is nothing wrong at all with Brando from The Wild Ones. Brando from On the Waterfront was even better. But Brando is not Hector, he is not Achilles, he is not Odysseus or Diomedes or Great Ajax. To my ears, all too often Lombardo give us Brando. Fagles gives us the Greeks. At least, to my ears and my soul. Try the two of them out and let me know how you feel. And if anyone wants to argue the merits of different translations in the comments, have at me. Review: Arguably the best translation - beautiful book, the translation is easy to read while still maintaining the scholarly sense you get from other translations ## Features - Iliad - Homer - Fagles ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,591 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5 in Ancient & Classical Poetry #9 in Epic Poetry (Books) #90 in Classic Literature & Fiction | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,646 Reviews | ## Images ![The Iliad - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71FVVdj9w4L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ On the world in one book and Fagles over Lombardo *by G***R on October 28, 2009* I have several points to make in this review. The first is to explain why I recommend the Fagles translation over that of Lombardo. The choice of translation is at one and the same time easy, personal and fraught with consequence. It is easy because all the translations that I am familiar with (Fitzgerald, Fagles and Lombardo) are excellent and have their own excellencies. It is personal because because I believe it is largely a matter of individual aesthetic. But it is fraught with consequence. Let me explain that last part. In Homeric Moments, Eva Braan points out the passage in Book 18 when Achilles first talks to Thetis after hearing that Patrocles has been killed by Hector. Fagles (p. 470, Line 96) translates the line as "I've lost him". Lombardo parses the line as "And I killed him" (Lombardo, p. 357, Line 86). Braan suggests that the alternate to lost should be "destroyed" (Braan, p. 11). This crux epitomizes my loss at not knowing Greek and having to read translations. I lose out on those moments, those flashes of shifting insight that knowing that the word I am reading can imply loss, guilt and transgression all at the same time. Knowing that there are trade-offs of insight to win or lose on the choice of a translation, I recommend you read several. Pick a main translation. And at the moments of consequence in the story, consult the others. Lombardo is flat out better at making Book 2(the catalogue of ships) not only readable but purposeful. Homer in that one chapter is giving all the islands, all the kingdoms and cities of Greece a place in the national epic of the country. He is giving everyone in Greece a hero to look back on as their own. But in general I find Lombardo to be, for lack of a better term, coarser. And, I think it has a lot to do with his methodology. I read his intro as saying that he works his translation out over the coarse of time by performing it (fair enough since we are reading Homer, the singer of epics). But, as a result of those readings perhaps, his translation has passages that are real clunkers. For example, I laughed out loud when I read this: "Well let me tell you something. I guarantee That if I ever catch you running on at the mouth again As you were just now, my name isn't Odysseus..." (Lombardo, p.28, Line 279-281) I read those line and what I see is young Marlon Brando in The Wild Ones not Odysseus. Compare Fagles: "I tell you this, so help me it's the truth: If I catch you again, blithering on this way, let Odysseus' head be wrenched off his shoulders" (Fagles, p. 108, Line 301-303). That line count is also an issue- Lombardo's methodology leads him to leave out words, phrases and lines because they are unneccessary to performance. I can't go with that. I could go on but I think you see my argument. To sum up: I don't read/speak a bit of Greek. My ear when reading aloud leads me to prefer the Fagles translation but the Lombardo is a valuable adjunct to that reading. Since both translations are also interpretations, to read them both is to probably get a little closer to Homer. And, by the way, both contain useful introductions although I think Knox's intro to Fagles' translation is better than Murnaghan's to Lombardo's translation. Finally, why should you care? I have hinted at it in my review title and my remark on the catalogue of ships. Homer's poetic style reveals so much more than an epic on force or whatever the critical summation de jour is. He creates a world. Not just a world at war but through his similes a world of crafts, work, weddings, births, murders, kinships, friendships, of gods, of monsters, of countries and of history. Toward the end of the book, the God Hephaestus creates for Achilles a new shield. Homer describes in detail the working on the shield, the two cities, one at war, one at peace and the whole universe that surrounds them. It is the perfect simile for the effect of Homer's poem as a whole. The other reason you should read this book is the central conflict between Hector and Achilles. Both men are doomed and know it. Both are aware that the success of their side is dependent on them. Achilles is the more god-like but Hector is the better man, the more humane human being. You should care about reading about these two because in their conflict, they are tracing out what is was for the men of ancient Greece to live and to die. And their story continues to carry the weight of the ways that they faced their fate down to our own time. Which brings me to my final reason for preferring Fagles over Lombardo. Brando in The Wild Ones was a marvel. There is nothing wrong at all with Brando from The Wild Ones. Brando from On the Waterfront was even better. But Brando is not Hector, he is not Achilles, he is not Odysseus or Diomedes or Great Ajax. To my ears, all too often Lombardo give us Brando. Fagles gives us the Greeks. At least, to my ears and my soul. Try the two of them out and let me know how you feel. And if anyone wants to argue the merits of different translations in the comments, have at me. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Arguably the best translation *by N***I on March 17, 2026* beautiful book, the translation is easy to read while still maintaining the scholarly sense you get from other translations ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic translation into modern English *by J***B on August 22, 2021* Reading Homer is essential for any study of the great western works. I chose this version since it was recommended as "the best modern English translation" from The Young Heretics podcast. This is -the- translation to experience The Iliad if you too are working your way through the great works. It truly is the best war story ever told, and boy does Fagles tell it! The translation is written in free verse (9-14 syllables per line, usually), which flows marvelously well as the drama of the Trojan War reaches its climax. If you have only experienced the tale through the movies and television then you may be surprised by how vital the pantheon is to the story, the religious adherence of all involved, and the fact that the Iliad mostly covers one week of fighting. The story itself is about the rage of Achilles, so it naturally starts with Achilles becoming enraged and ends when his rage is soothed - and no, that doesn't happen with his death. In addition to the translation, this edition also contains a 60-page introduction/commentary by Bernard Knox. The commentary alone is worth the price of the book! It contextualizes how The Iliad (probably) came to be, who Homer may be, and how scholars study the work from a variety of perspectives. He then describes the main themes of the book and contrasts the character traits of the leading heroes. Feel free to skip this section to avoid spoilers (though bear in mind that the story spoils itself quite frequently, plus it's very likely you know most of the major plot points already), or if you want a bias-free experience. I found that it enhanced my understanding of the story rather than directing it, but I'll let you be the judge of that! Keep in mind that the Alexander Pope translation is still highly regarded as the best. It was translated in the early 18th century and is even written in iambic pentameter with rhyming couplets! However, the language of that translation is archaic, akin to reading the King James Bible. It also has not benefitted from the last 300 years of classical scholarship. If this doesn't bother you then it is certainly the version you should read. But if you prefer a (still beautiful) translation into modern English then you will not be disappointed with Fagles. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Iliad - The Odyssey - The Aeneid (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hk/products/1274550-the-iliad](https://www.desertcart.hk/products/1274550-the-iliad) --- *Product available on Desertcart Hong Kong* *Store origin: HK* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*