The Iliad

De: Homer, Richmond Lattimore - translator

Narrado por: Charlton Griffin

The Iliad is one of the most enduring creations of Western Civilization and was originally written to be recited or chanted to the accompaniment of various instruments. Properly performed, this work today is just as meaningful, just as powerful, and just as entertaining as it was in the ninth century BC, and it casts its spell upon modern listeners with the same raw intensity as it did upon the people of ancient times.

As you listen to this great work, you feel yourself to be in the presence of a grandeur that suffuses the very air. There is no question that the poet, whether his name was Homer or not, was one of the supreme artists of all time and all civilizations. But this wonderful piece of poetry is not merely a catalog of events of the Trojan War. Specifically, the poem deals with the bitter dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon, and how the Greeks were almost destroyed by their hubris. Hovering about, the Olympian gods watch the unfolding events with keen interest, sometimes lending help and encouragement on one hand, or spreading fear and hatred on the other.

The Iliad is ultimately about the free will of man and his ability or failure to make rational choices in the face of conflict and chaos. Unlike the gods, men must face death, which gives their decisions a spiritual meaning which is absent on Olympus. The great legacy of The Iliad is its shattering revelation of what it means to be human in the face of life's uncertainty and fleeting mortality.

Public Domain (P)2008 Audio Connoisseur

Another great production by Charlton Griffin

Charlton Griffin is my "go to" man for the classics. He can deliver the haughtiness of Zeus and the self-loathing of Helen.
This is another great title in the Audio Connoisseur catalog.

Advertise that this is the Lattimore translation

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

The translation was the version I was hoping would be available.

What did you like best about this story?

I like everything about The Iliad, in any translation; the fact that the audible.com version is my favorite (Lattimore) makes it the best thing about this selection.

Have you listened to any of Charlton Griffin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Just a sample of two tales from Metamorphoses by Ovid. This compares well, to a very high standard of performance.

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

I imagine this question is more for unfamiliar titles--when the text is encountered for the first time as an Audible.com reading performance. Homer's text in its many different translations never fails to evoke the emotional spectrum no matter how many times it's been experienced before; Charlton Griffin's reading of Homer/Lattimore was excellent.

Unreadable without this audio book

I would not have gotten through this book for college without Charlton Griffin’s voice to make sense of who was speaking and what it was about . 5 stars for my A.

Engaging story and excellent recording!

Excellent narration with engaging inflected voices. The recording is indeed unabridged and verbatim with Lattimore's translation, despite what some have said. This book is foundational to classical literature and well worth the time invested in listening to it.

Fantastic! Beginner & I Loved It!

I bought because of a top 100 books list. I did not expect to enjoy, and it was awesome! The early section explains to the novice what to expect, and the story follows exactly as outlined. The writer even tells which parts are tedious. The reader does a remarkable job. I have bought other Greek literature because of this experience. The Odyssey is even better, but read this first.

Love it

Great reading, very entertaining tto listen to. The reader really tells the story in a way that makes you feel like those who heard Homer tell it must have felt.

Loved the actor reading this.

Loved it! Charlton Griffen' s performance superbly narrates the story making the characters come to life.

Great audio book, poor editting

I regret not having addressed The Iliad until now. It is indeed a classic of literature and despite its age remains strongly engaging. However, if one's only understanding of the story is from popular film and television, one might have false expectations as to the story that The Iliad really tells. It's not about the Trojan War. That's just the backdrop. While details of the war are described and are important, what it really focuses on is Achilles' anger and its consequences. Achilles is the only character with an arc, despite large portions of the story not being directly about him.

The Iliad is also a great view back into ancient Greek sensibilities. What struck me most was the use of the word "evil." The story features no evil characters. Evil is never described as a human trait or even as a cosmic trait. Evil is what people do. Save for the mortal women, all characters, Gods and human men alike, commit "evils" against someone. Killing is evil as is death. Cheating and beguiling are evil, but simply committing any of these acts does not make anyone wicked. Indeed, all characters both love and are loved, support their comrades and families, and have some measure of nobility to them.

Charlton Griffin's performance was great. His voice has a sufficiently broad range to cover each any every character without difficulty and he certainly knows how to do that. My first exposure to his voice was through Paradise Lost, though that book had far fewer characters.

What stops me from giving this audio book a perfect rating is the editing -- which is horrible. There are inexplicably long pauses between segments and the volume changes at random. I eventually learned to reach for the volume knob on my car stereo at the end of each section, setting it to some neutral level. Else I would have either had to strain to hear or be startled by the volume. Had I been listening with headphones, I'd have taken off another star at least.

Thus, if you have a volume control easily at hand, I would definitely recommend this title. It has been described by many as "Bible" of Greek mythology. It's not quite that, as it covers only a limited number of Greek gods and other mythological figures, but of those it covers it describes them well and makes perfectly clear the relationship mortal men had with them.

An Excellent Iliad

Listening to Charlton Griffin's reading of Richmond Lattimore's translation of The Iliad was a wonderful experience.

Griffin is good at modifying the pitch and tone of his voice to evoke the different genders and ages and moods and agendas of the various characters. He brings the epic to life. He even makes fascinating the 90-minute introduction by scholar Herbert J. Muller. And the sound effects (ravens cawing over a battlefield) and Greek mood music introducing and concluding the 24 books of the epic immersed me in its world.

As for Homer's story, an epic focused on a short slice of a long war, a tragedy with plenty of humor, it is rewardingly rich, depicting the appalling heroism and horror of war, the full range of human nature (from bravery to cowardice, brutality to mercy, destruction to creation, and hatred to love), the richness of ancient Greek culture, the pettiness and power of the gods, and the mortality and wonder of life. Among the most impressive moments are Hector's meeting with his wife and baby before going out to fight, Hephaestus' crafting of a shield with the heavens and earth and all of human endeavor animated upon it, and Achilles' inability to embrace the ghost of Patroclus in a dream. I hope the following quotation will give an idea of the excellence of Lattimore's translation and the depth of Homer's vision:

As is the generation of leaves, so is that of humanity,
The wind scatters the leaves on the ground, but the live timber
burgeons with leaves again in the season of spring returning.
So one generation of men will grow while another dies.

In conclusion, I thoroughly savored this audio version of The Iliad, often smiling with appreciation for Homer's story, Lattimore's translation, and Griffin's reading. I highly recommend it.

Epic Story — Amazing Reader!!!!

My daughter and I were reading this together for her homeschool class. Before starting this audio version, we were completely lost. We lost track of who was speaking and missed many important story points. After we started Mr. Griffin’s reading, we were brought into the story! His voice helped us understand the characters and appreciate Homer’s language use and style. If you need to read Homer (and now I believe that you do) listen to THIS version!!! You’re welcome! ;)

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