Publisher, HighBridge (September 2006)

Winner of the Academy of American Poets 1991 Landon Translation Award

"Astonishing…This should now become the standard translation for a new generation." --Peter Levi

"Robert Fagles has given us an Iliad to read aloud: eloquent, rhythmical, and full of power." --Jasper Griffin, Oxford University

"A remarkable tour de force...Better than any translator of our time, Fagles catches the relentless sweep of the original, the brutality of its battles, the passionate energy that explodes in gods, men, animals, even landscapes." --Maynard Mack, Yale University

This masterful new verse translation of Homer's classic story of the Trojan War has been hailed by critics as "an astonishing performance" and "a remarkable tour de force." Robert Fagles, chairman of the Department of Comparative Literature at Princeton University, brings the energy of contemporary language of this 2,700-year-old epic, while maintaining the drive and metric music of Homer's poetry, as well as the impact and nuance of Homer's mesmerizing repeated phrases.

As a scholar, Fagles praises Homer's directness and simplicity, the breadth of his imagination, and the power of his song. As a translator, he brilliantly captures these very qualities—which makes this Iliad not only a superb literary work, but a tremendous listening experience.

About the Performer: Derek Jacobi has been one of Great Britain's leading actors for more than 30 years, appearing with such distinguished groups as Laurence Olivier's National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the United States, he is best known for his brilliant performance in the title role of the celebrated Masterpiece Theatre presentation I, Claudius.