Iliad

By: Homer, Stanley Lombardo - translator

Narrated by: Stanley Lombardo, Susan Sarandon - introduction

The first of Homer's great epic poems, the Iliad portrays the final days of the Trojan war. The Iliad has stood the test of time and is still one of (it not the) best depictions of ancient warfare. It is an essential precursor to the infamous journey of Odysseus.

Translated and Narrated by Stanley Lombardo. Introduction by Susan Sarandon.

©1997 Hackett Publishing Company (P)2006 Parmenides Publishing

Critic reviews

"Lombardo's Iliad both sings to 21st century ears and holds true to Homer's original vision; the blind bard would be proud." ( Publishers Weekly)

I liked the audio version of the Iliad!

What made the experience of listening to Iliad the most enjoyable?

I actually don't have a lot of time to actually read, so this is perfect for me. I can listen when i am moving in between classes, on my way to and from school, and while i am doing other things.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Iliad is a classic! There are so many characters to choose from that it is hard to pick a favorite. If i had to chose a favorite, I would say Diomedes! That dude is a beast and really fun to listen to.

What does Stanley Lombardo and Susan Sarandon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really enjoyed the pace of the reading. It was faster than i am used to reading. I also like the tone for each of the characters in the book. Stanley really gave an outstanding performance to all the speakers in this book. I also like that Susan gave the summaries before the next book started, she was pretty awsome as well!

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this app to anyone that likes to listen to stories. Whatever your preferrence of genre, this is an awsome app and audiobook. I wish they would actually do this with some of my boring textbooks! The only reason I didn't rate this a 5 star was because I wish they would have added a search bar in each chapter so that I could find a reference to go back to when I want to find something specific. Other than that I was very pleased with this audiobook!

One of the weaker translations/narrations of ILIAD I’ve read

Overall one of the weaker translations I’ve read, which is unfortunate because there are some beautiful passages in there. Mostly, the issue is that Lombardo uses too many modern concepts and phrases. “Greeks” over “Achaeans” is an unfortunately common one in modern renditions, so I don’t mind it much. But Tydeus is described at one point as “showing his stuff,” and Aphrodite’s girdle comes with magical qualities “built-in.” It just doesn’t fit for me.

Lombardo’s narration is also unfortunately not very successful in my eyes. He just can’t reach the emotional range necessary, and often devolves to outright shouting, or lets scenes (especially ones where multiple slain warriors are mentioned in a row) go by sounding like a laundry list. [AUDIBLE]

ちょっと弱い翻訳の選択。ナレーションもあまり好きじゃなかった

Great new translation, superb performance

This translation and performance really does
succeed in bringing a historic classic alive for the modern listener/reader. The images are vibrant, the saga captivates. Absolutely a fabulous listen - it is as if you are sitting around a fire as the storyteller takes you on a journey! The companion translation by the same author/reader of the Odyssey is also a must listen.

This changed my perspective on Audible books.

We got a lot out of listening to The Iliad rather than reading it. After this, I realized I will re do all the Greek classics through listening on Audible.

An Epic of the Horrors of War

Would you listen to Iliad again? Why?

Yes, there were so many details about even the most minor characters that The Iliad should probably be listened two at least twice.

What did you like best about this story?

The aspect that I liked most about the story is the author's attention to heroes on both sides of the battle and his depiction of the heart wrenching side of war. Instead of just saying that so and so's spear smashed into such and such's head, there is often a good paragraph of information about the victim. For example, Homer tells us how the man is a loving father, the husband of a noble wife, the only son of upstanding parents, or how he always treated travelers well etc. and then ends with an incredibly gruesome description of him clawing in a pool of his own blood. The listener/reader finds himself pitying the fallen men on both sides and getting (I think) a truer picture of how horrible war really is. In addition, the Greek gods as portrayed in The Iliad are absolutely hillarious. While all the mortals below simply assume that the gods have a plan and their best intrests in heart they are woefully mistaken. Apollo is a total jerk, Ares the god of war isn’t that great in battle, Hera is a foolish blabbermouth and Zeus is the most promiscuous male in heaven or earth. Instead of being holy and wise, all the actions of the gods show them to be selfish, arbitrary and fickle, doing more harm them good to both the Greeks and Trojans.

Which scene was your favorite?

Zeus is letting the Trojans win the war and Hera cant take it, so she seduces him to give the other gods a chance to sneak off and help the Greeks. Poseidon goes off to demolish the Trojans while Zeus and Hera go to bed, but not before Zeus tells her how much more beautiful she is then all the mortal women he cheated on her with, listing off all their qualities.

Any additional comments?

Stanley Lombardo does an excellent reading of his translation and Susan Sarandon's summaries of events at the beginning of each book (chapter) are helpful.

Best translation I have read (heard read)

I have read the iliad a few times before this.

The problem with reading anything this old is that most of us don't speak greek from the 8th century B.C. Most translation try too hard to make the translation rhyme ala the original text. This can make reading or listening to these translations very tiring.
The best shakespeare play I have ever seen is a performance by a french troupe in Mexico. The work was translated into modern spanish and I loved it. I didn't have to do any work to watch the play. So I just sat back and enjoyed it.
That is how I felt about this translation. It is in modern english and it doesn't try to force rhymes yet still has a musical rythm. I love the story of the Iliad or the wrath of achilles and even though I knew the outcome of the story i enjoyed every second of this recording.
Again I didn't have to do any work to understand this I just sat back and enjoyed it.

Captivating, marvelous

This is the best way to enjoy this stunning classic, especially if crunched for time!

Best translation

What made the experience of listening to Iliad the most enjoyable?

Lombardo's delivery was excellent and his translation reflected well the mood and meaning of the original.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hector is probably the most engaging character because of the scene with his wife and child. Hector is three-dimensional: a warrior, husband, and father. No one else in the Iliad is shown like that.

What does Stanley Lombardo and Susan Sarandon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Having Sarandon give an overview of each book is very helpful.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My! It is bloody and gory.

Any additional comments?

I have been trying for years to read all the way through the Iliad. This is the first translation that has not lost me somewhere around the Catalog of Ships (Book II).

Well Done

The performance brought life to this ancient story. I think it I s well worth listening to.

A well read, but slightly disappointing production

Was happy to see there existed an audio version of Stanley Lombardo's beautiful, flowing translation, but this production does perhaps not live up to its full potential. The Illiad used to be recited, and one can but imagine what ancient bards brought to the table in terms of imaginative oral storytelling. The narrator reads well, but maintains a steady tone throughout, with little effort to distinguish and embody characters through voice and tone. Am left wishing an actor/narrator had taken me on more of an epic literary ride, rather than this rather conservative approach. Another very irritating choice was that of including a little audio effect to mark out the epic similes. This I found fine at first, especially when the sound echoed the content of the simile (bees, water, wind, etc). But after a while they start using the same audio snippet again and again (the water one), literally just seconds appart, even when there is no thematic echo in the text. The effect is very annoying and distracting. The idea, I suppose, was a means of paralleling the fact that epic similes are italicised in the Stanley Lombardo edition, but the effect is just weird and not sufficiently thought through.